ZKsync, an Ethereum scaling layer, has plans to shut down its original Zksync Lite rollup next year, directing everyone’s attention to Zksync Era and the ZK Stack.
In a social media post, ZKsync executives announced their plan to retire the ZK-rollup legend, “which does not affect any other ZKsync systems.”
ZKsync is a Layer 2 scaling solution or protocol for the Ethereum network that uses Zero-Knowledge (ZK) systems/rollups. It processes many transactions off-chain, collects and bundles them, and submits a compressed summary of proof of transaction validity to on-chain (Ethereum).
Launched in June 2020 by Matter Labs, ZKsync Lite is the oldest rollup of ZKsync, specifically made for payments and simple transfers. This legend rollup carried out the transaction processes on Ethereum, as mentioned above.
As the term zero-knowledge/ZK suggests, ZKsync does not provide all the information to Ethereum; instead, it provides details without disclosing the real information.
Why ZKsync plans to deprecate Zksync Lite?
The Ethereum scaling solution ZKsync plans to shut down ZKsync Lite, because ZKsync Lite is the old version network, and ZKsync has gradually moved its strategy to ZKsync Era and ZK Stack.
Matter Labs has actively stopped bringing engineering advancements to ZKsync Lite in early 2023, shifting their focus toward ZKsync Era and ZK Stack.
ZKSync Era is the current Layer 2 rollup of ZKSync that uses zero-knowledge validity proofs on Ethereum. Meanwhile, ZK Stack is a framework or toolkit where anyone can build and launch their own ZK chains that link with Era.
Talking about the legacy ZKsync Lite rollup, the platform executives said: “It did its job: prove what’s possible and pave the way for the next generation”.
The ZKsync team said they are not turning off ZKsync Lite now and will share further details about the core migration guidance later. As of now, ZKsync Lite will continue to operate as usual. “Funds remain safe, and withdrawals to L1 will keep working through the process.”
Worth noting, Ethereum has several other rollups that help smoothen transactions besides ZKsync. Starknet, Scroll (zkEVM), Linea, and Scroll are major ZK validity-proof rollups on Ethereum. The blockchain network also has optimistic fraud-proof based Layer 2 solutions.
These rollups make Ethereum transactions cheaper and faster without congestion on the mainnet while inheriting security guarantees of the network.
