OP Succinct’s primary function is to integrate ZKP into the OP Stack’s modular architecture, converting OP Stack Rollups into fully verified ZK Rollups.
If Ethereum’s future scaling solution is to convert all Rollups into ZK Rollups, OP Succinct aims to deploy Type-1 zkEVM (fully Ethereum-equivalent) within the OP Stack, utilizing Rust and SP1.
OP Succinct Proposer achieves proof generation in parallel, along with proof aggregation and verification.
The existing OP Stack system relies on a “7-day fraud-proof window,” which causes transaction delays if disputes arise. OP Succinct shortens transaction finality time by using ZK proofs, eliminating the need for the extended fraud-proof window.
OP Succinct can significantly reduce transaction costs.
Image Source: Blockscout
As of March 30, 2024, OP Labs announced the release of “fault proofs” on the OP Sepolia testnet, which was officially launched on OP Mainnet on June 11, 2024. This marks the first step towards decentralization, allowing users to withdraw ETH and ERC-20 tokens from OP Mainnet without the need for a trusted third party. This mechanism enables users to challenge and revoke invalid withdrawals (including Base, Metal, Mode, and Zora).
To ensure the security and trust of users’ assets, Optimism uses fault proofs to verify the accuracy and validity of on-chain transactions and prevent malicious actions. The key principles include:
If a discrepancy between Layer-2 and Layer-1 data is found, the disputing party can issue a challenge. The Layer-2 operator must submit proof to counter the challenge and verify the correctness of the data. Finality: If no valid challenge occurs within the challenge period or the Layer-2 operator successfully counters the challenge, the transaction is finalized and considered valid.
OP Labs is the team or organization developing the Optimism solution, while OP Stack is a technical framework used for building and scaling Ethereum Layer 2 networks. The relationship between OP Labs and OP Stack can be viewed as the relationship between developers and their development tools.
OP Labs is the primary team or organization responsible for developing and maintaining the Optimism network. Their goal is to create an efficient scaling solution for Ethereum, focusing on reducing transaction fees and increasing transaction speeds. They are not only developing Optimistic Rollups but also pushing new technologies related to zero-knowledge proofs, such as OP Succinct in partnership with Succinct Labs.
OP Stack, developed by OP Labs, offers a modular framework that provides the foundational infrastructure for building Layer 2 networks. Developers can use OP Stack to quickly create different expansion networks. The modular design allows users to flexibly choose different verification mechanisms (e.g., Optimistic Rollups or ZK Rollups) to meet the needs of various projects.
In essence, OP Labs can be seen as the developers of OP Stack, and OP Stack is the technical tool provided by OP Labs to help developers build and scale Ethereum Layer 2 networks.
Before diving into OP Succinct, it is important to introduce the four main components of each OP Stack:
Image Source: Succinct Blog
Building upon the components of the OP Stack outlined in section 1.2, OP Succinct is a lightweight upgrade to the OP Stack that allows chains to use ZK-verified blocks while keeping other components (op-geth, op-batcher, and op-node) unchanged. OP Succinct consists of the following four main components:
Building zkEVM Rollups has been challenging due to the extensive cryptography expertise required. When OP Labs developed the modular OP Stack, they anticipated supporting various proof mechanisms. To this end, they open-sourced the development of Kona (see extension link 1) to implement the STF of OP Stack Rollups using Rust, ultimately enabling the generation of zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) for OP Stack through Kona and the SP1 program. This means that, in theory, any OP Stack chain can be upgraded to use ZKP.
The goal of SP1 (Succinct Processor 1) is to allow developers to seamlessly integrate Type-1 zkEVM rollups using standard Rust code. With OP Succinct, the process of upgrading any existing OP Stack chain to a Type-1 zkEVM rollup can be completed within one hour, offering the following benefits:
According to the official GitHub documentation, the process only requires installing Rust, Foundry, and Docker to upgrade any existing OP Stack rollup to a Type-1 zkEVM rollup. The simplified process involves two steps:
Image Source: Succinct Blog — Upgrading OP Stack Rollup to ZK Proofs
Succinct believes that the future of EVM Rollups lies in zkEVM written in the Rust language, which allows for better maintainability. Currently, OP Rollups face three major challenges: the lengthy 7-day fraud-proof window, complex interoperability, and reliance on multi-group data mechanisms in some cases rather than fraud proofs. Developing a zkEVM is a long-term endeavor, so SP1 was created to address these challenges.
SP1 is a high-performance, fully customizable zkVM that is 100% open-source. It can verify the execution of arbitrary Rust (or LLVM-compiled) programs. According to public data, the OP Succinct Stack has been successfully running on OP Mainnet, OP Sepolia, and the Base chain, with transaction proof costs ranging from $0.01 to $0.02 (see extension link 3). In the future, all blockchain infrastructure, including Rollups, bridges, and coprocessors, will likely be written in Rust (or other LLVM-compiled languages) and take advantage of ZKP.
Based on summaries from the Succinct blog and open-source GitHub content, SP1’s performance advantages over other zkVMs stem from several key factors:
Image Source: Succinct Blog — See Appendix Explanation in Extension Link 4
Image credit: @jtguibas
If Ethereum’s scaling solutions are seen as OP in the short term and ZK in the long term, OP Succinct’s potential success could mark a significant milestone in Ethereum’s development path. OP Succinct provides an upgradeable pathway for ETH Rollups to transition from optimistic verification to zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP). This shift not only reduces transaction costs but also increases transaction speed while preserving the security and privacy attributes of ZK Rollups, opening new possibilities for application layer expansion in the future.
Among the recognized four major Layer 2 solutions, OP Stack currently seems to have a slight edge over ZK Stack in terms of ecosystem development. The future might see an even more pronounced Matthew effect, where OP Succinct’s inclusion could siphon off some of ZK Stack’s traffic and potential. If OP Succinct proves successful, it may even pose a challenge to traditional zkEVM-based Rollups.
However, from the operational logic presented thus far, one critical aspect emerges: how can developers ensure that system-wide risks, caused by unknown vulnerabilities when modifying the state transition function (STF) or adding new precompiles, are detected in a timely manner? This is an area that warrants long-term attention.
OP Succinct’s primary function is to integrate ZKP into the OP Stack’s modular architecture, converting OP Stack Rollups into fully verified ZK Rollups.
If Ethereum’s future scaling solution is to convert all Rollups into ZK Rollups, OP Succinct aims to deploy Type-1 zkEVM (fully Ethereum-equivalent) within the OP Stack, utilizing Rust and SP1.
OP Succinct Proposer achieves proof generation in parallel, along with proof aggregation and verification.
The existing OP Stack system relies on a “7-day fraud-proof window,” which causes transaction delays if disputes arise. OP Succinct shortens transaction finality time by using ZK proofs, eliminating the need for the extended fraud-proof window.
OP Succinct can significantly reduce transaction costs.
Image Source: Blockscout
As of March 30, 2024, OP Labs announced the release of “fault proofs” on the OP Sepolia testnet, which was officially launched on OP Mainnet on June 11, 2024. This marks the first step towards decentralization, allowing users to withdraw ETH and ERC-20 tokens from OP Mainnet without the need for a trusted third party. This mechanism enables users to challenge and revoke invalid withdrawals (including Base, Metal, Mode, and Zora).
To ensure the security and trust of users’ assets, Optimism uses fault proofs to verify the accuracy and validity of on-chain transactions and prevent malicious actions. The key principles include:
If a discrepancy between Layer-2 and Layer-1 data is found, the disputing party can issue a challenge. The Layer-2 operator must submit proof to counter the challenge and verify the correctness of the data. Finality: If no valid challenge occurs within the challenge period or the Layer-2 operator successfully counters the challenge, the transaction is finalized and considered valid.
OP Labs is the team or organization developing the Optimism solution, while OP Stack is a technical framework used for building and scaling Ethereum Layer 2 networks. The relationship between OP Labs and OP Stack can be viewed as the relationship between developers and their development tools.
OP Labs is the primary team or organization responsible for developing and maintaining the Optimism network. Their goal is to create an efficient scaling solution for Ethereum, focusing on reducing transaction fees and increasing transaction speeds. They are not only developing Optimistic Rollups but also pushing new technologies related to zero-knowledge proofs, such as OP Succinct in partnership with Succinct Labs.
OP Stack, developed by OP Labs, offers a modular framework that provides the foundational infrastructure for building Layer 2 networks. Developers can use OP Stack to quickly create different expansion networks. The modular design allows users to flexibly choose different verification mechanisms (e.g., Optimistic Rollups or ZK Rollups) to meet the needs of various projects.
In essence, OP Labs can be seen as the developers of OP Stack, and OP Stack is the technical tool provided by OP Labs to help developers build and scale Ethereum Layer 2 networks.
Before diving into OP Succinct, it is important to introduce the four main components of each OP Stack:
Image Source: Succinct Blog
Building upon the components of the OP Stack outlined in section 1.2, OP Succinct is a lightweight upgrade to the OP Stack that allows chains to use ZK-verified blocks while keeping other components (op-geth, op-batcher, and op-node) unchanged. OP Succinct consists of the following four main components:
Building zkEVM Rollups has been challenging due to the extensive cryptography expertise required. When OP Labs developed the modular OP Stack, they anticipated supporting various proof mechanisms. To this end, they open-sourced the development of Kona (see extension link 1) to implement the STF of OP Stack Rollups using Rust, ultimately enabling the generation of zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) for OP Stack through Kona and the SP1 program. This means that, in theory, any OP Stack chain can be upgraded to use ZKP.
The goal of SP1 (Succinct Processor 1) is to allow developers to seamlessly integrate Type-1 zkEVM rollups using standard Rust code. With OP Succinct, the process of upgrading any existing OP Stack chain to a Type-1 zkEVM rollup can be completed within one hour, offering the following benefits:
According to the official GitHub documentation, the process only requires installing Rust, Foundry, and Docker to upgrade any existing OP Stack rollup to a Type-1 zkEVM rollup. The simplified process involves two steps:
Image Source: Succinct Blog — Upgrading OP Stack Rollup to ZK Proofs
Succinct believes that the future of EVM Rollups lies in zkEVM written in the Rust language, which allows for better maintainability. Currently, OP Rollups face three major challenges: the lengthy 7-day fraud-proof window, complex interoperability, and reliance on multi-group data mechanisms in some cases rather than fraud proofs. Developing a zkEVM is a long-term endeavor, so SP1 was created to address these challenges.
SP1 is a high-performance, fully customizable zkVM that is 100% open-source. It can verify the execution of arbitrary Rust (or LLVM-compiled) programs. According to public data, the OP Succinct Stack has been successfully running on OP Mainnet, OP Sepolia, and the Base chain, with transaction proof costs ranging from $0.01 to $0.02 (see extension link 3). In the future, all blockchain infrastructure, including Rollups, bridges, and coprocessors, will likely be written in Rust (or other LLVM-compiled languages) and take advantage of ZKP.
Based on summaries from the Succinct blog and open-source GitHub content, SP1’s performance advantages over other zkVMs stem from several key factors:
Image Source: Succinct Blog — See Appendix Explanation in Extension Link 4
Image credit: @jtguibas
If Ethereum’s scaling solutions are seen as OP in the short term and ZK in the long term, OP Succinct’s potential success could mark a significant milestone in Ethereum’s development path. OP Succinct provides an upgradeable pathway for ETH Rollups to transition from optimistic verification to zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP). This shift not only reduces transaction costs but also increases transaction speed while preserving the security and privacy attributes of ZK Rollups, opening new possibilities for application layer expansion in the future.
Among the recognized four major Layer 2 solutions, OP Stack currently seems to have a slight edge over ZK Stack in terms of ecosystem development. The future might see an even more pronounced Matthew effect, where OP Succinct’s inclusion could siphon off some of ZK Stack’s traffic and potential. If OP Succinct proves successful, it may even pose a challenge to traditional zkEVM-based Rollups.
However, from the operational logic presented thus far, one critical aspect emerges: how can developers ensure that system-wide risks, caused by unknown vulnerabilities when modifying the state transition function (STF) or adding new precompiles, are detected in a timely manner? This is an area that warrants long-term attention.