zkSync 2.0: Mainnet launch for registered projects
Matter Labs, a company with Ukrainian roots, is renaming zkSync 2.0 to zkSync Era and opening up mainnet access for registered projects.
zkSync is an L2 protocol in Ethereum based on zk-rollups technology (rollups are a development designed to increase Ethereum scalability and are used in Ethereum layer 2 protocols, and zk stands for zero-knowledge proof). It allows for significantly faster and cheaper transactions. Currently, zkSync is centrally managed, but it will be fully transitioned to community-led decentralized management in the future.
The zkSync team has two protocol versions: zkSync Era and zkSync Lite (previously zkSync 1.0). The names were changed to create a clear distinction between the two projects, as well as to give them simple, widely appealing names that reflect the vision of the new Ethereum era. The main difference between the two versions is that zkSync Era, as zkEVM (zk-rollups that are used for executing smart contracts in Ethereum), supports all Ethereum applications, while zkSync Lite supports only specific ones.
People were expecting zkEVMs to arrive five years from now, but here we are, and it’s actually fully workingsaid Alexei Glukhovsky, CEO of Matter Labs.
Currently, zkSync Era has entered a new stage of its roadmap – Fair Onboarding Alpha. The team has opened project registration for testing in the mainnet, with equal access for all developers who fill out a registration form. Unfortunately, regular users cannot participate in testing just yet. This is to give developers enough time to test their projects in a closed environment before zkSync Era is made available to everyone in the next stage.
In addition, during Fair Onboarding Alpha, the zkSync team has planned the following activities:
- They will launch a limited token bridge for DApp testing.
- They will conduct security audits, contests, and bug bounty programs.
- They will improve developer tools such as plugins and documentation.
Furthermore, the team has fulfilled its promise of releasing the project's source code with complete freedom to view, modify, and fork the code. Developers encourage the community to actively participate in improving the product, identifying bugs, or making new proposals, especially in the security domain, as the protocol is still in its early stages. The team does not recommend forking the code until the next stage is released, as this may result in critical security updates being missed.
It's more than just a milestone. It's the first time in history that projects can actually deploy on a ZK rollup on Ethereum,said Alexei Glukhovsky, CEO of Matter Labs.
2 solutions continue to gain momentum, but Matter Labs is not rushing to finalize the project launch and wants to focus on protocol security. The team will soon publish a continuation of the roadmap with an overview of new development stages.
