Crypto Gloss

zkSync Era

zkSync Era is a ZK-rollup Layer 2 designed and built by Matter Labs (Alex Gluchowski, CEO), founded in 2018. It was one of the earliest ZK-rollup projects and transitioned from a payments-focused zk-rollup (zkSync Lite, 2020) to a general-purpose smart contract platform (zkSync Era, 2023). Era achieves EVM compatibility by compiling Solidity to a custom compiler (LLVM-based zkEVM) and producing PLONK-based ZK proofs. The ZK Token launched in June 2024 via an airdrop that became one of the most controversial distributions of the year.

Architecture

The protocol is built around the following components.

Proof System: Boojum / PLONK

zkSync Era uses a PLONK-based proving system:

  1. Transactions are collected into batches
  2. The zkEVM circuit proves execution of the EVM trace
  3. PLONK proof generated (with a trusted setup via KZG polynomial commitments)
  4. Proof posted to Ethereum’s Verifier contract
  5. State root updated on Ethereum

Boojum: Matter Labs’ custom proof system (2023) — a PLONK variant using GPU proving for performance; significantly reduced proof generation time from hours to minutes.

zkEVM Type 3/4

zkSync Era is classified as a Type 3/4 zkEVM in Vitalik’s taxonomy:

  • Type 1: Fully EVM-equivalent (prove actual Ethereum execution) — slow
  • Type 2: EVM-equivalent (Ethereum state model, but custom opcodes)
  • Type 3+4: High-level language compatibility — Solidity/Vyper contracts compile and work, but not byte-for-byte EVM identical

zkSync Era uses its own compiler (zksolc / zkvyper):

  • Most Solidity contracts work after recompile
  • Some EVM quirks (specific gas behaviors, delegatecall edge cases) may differ
  • Consequence: Developers must test carefully when deploying existing Ethereum contracts

zkSync Lite vs. zkSync Era

zkSync Lite (launched 2020):

  • Simple payments and token transfers only
  • No smart contracts
  • Used by Gitcoin for grants, some DEXes
  • Still operational but development frozen

zkSync Era (launched 2023):

  • Full smart contract support
  • EVM-compatible (with caveats)
  • The focus of all Matter Labs development
  • Renamed from “zkSync 2.0” → “zkSync Era” at mainnet launch

ZKsync Ecosystem

Major protocols on zkSync Era:

  • SyncSwap: Primary DEX on zkSync Era; SYNC token
  • Mute.io: DEX with bonds (Protocol-owned liquidity)
  • ZigZag: Order book DEX (zkSync Lite)
  • Nexon Finance: Lending
  • Rhino.fi: Cross-chain aggregator
  • zkSync Native Account Abstraction: Era has built-in Paymaster support allowing fee payment in ERC-20 tokens

ZK Token

Launched June 2024:

  • Ticker: ZK
  • Total supply: 21 billion ZK
  • Airdrop allocation: 17.5% to early users (~3.6 billion ZK)
  • Controversy: The airdrop distribution was widely criticized:
    One wallet received 100M+ ZK (a single entity)
    Large allocations to Gitcoin grant recipients and ecosystem participants beyond bridge/DEX users
    Many “real users” who had spent significant gas fees received smaller allocations than expected
    Rapid sell-off: ZK dropped 35%+ in the first week post-launch
    Sybil detection was seen as inadequate — farm wallets received more than expected

Governance: ZK governs zkSync Era protocol parameters and future protocol decisions via ZK Token-based voting.

ZK Stack / Hyperchains

Matter Labs’ vision for the future:

  • ZK Stack: Open-source framework for launching custom ZK-rollup chains (“Hyperchains”) using zkSync technology
  • Hyperchain: Any team can fork zkSync Era to create their own L2/L3 with shared proving infrastructure
  • Interconnected Hyperchains: Designed to be interoperable — bridging between Hyperchains via shared ZK proof verification avoids the usual bridge trust assumptions
  • Notable Hyperchains: Validium chains for gaming (lower data costs), Cronos zkEVM (Crypto.com’s L2)

Validity Proofs vs Fraud Proofs

zkSync Era’s advantage over Optimistic rollups (Arbitrum, Optimism, Base):

  • Optimistic rollups: assume transactions are valid; 7-day challenge window before funds can be withdrawn
  • ZK-rollups: cryptographic proof of correctness posted per batch; instant finality on Ethereum
  • zkSync Era withdrawals to Ethereum: ~24 hours (proof generation time) vs. Arbitrum’s 7 days

How to Use zkSync Era

  1. Open MetaMask → Networks → Add Network → zkSync Era (chainID: 324)
  2. Bridge ETH from Ethereum at portal.zksync.io (official bridge, ~24 hrs)
  3. For faster bridging: Orbiter Finance, Layerswap, or Relay.link
  4. Deploy protocols directly — most Solidity dApps work with a recompile using zksolc

Acquire ETH via . Secure with (native zkSync Era support available).

Social Media Sentiment

zkSync Era has significant community frustration centered on the ZK token airdrop distribution. The large allocations to single wallets and ecosystem partners, combined with smaller-than-expected allocations to frequent bridge/DEX users, created lasting resentment. Matter Labs has struggled to recover community sentiment. On the technical side, zkSync Era is respected among ZK researchers for its engineering execution and the Boojum prover performance improvements. The ZK Stack Hyperchain vision is broadly considered sound but faces adoption challenges vs. Optimism’s Superchain and Arbitrum’s Orbit ecosystem, which have become the dominant frameworks for new L2 deployments.

Last updated: 2026-04

Related Terms

Sources

Ben-Sasson, E., Chiesa, A., Tromer, E., & Virza, M. (2014). Succinct Non-Interactive Arguments for a von Neumann Architecture. USENIX Security.

Gabizon, A., Williamson, Z. J., & Ciobotaru, O. (2019). PLONK: Permutations over Lagrange-bases for Oecumenical Noninteractive arguments of Knowledge. IACR.

Buterin, V. (2022). The Different Types of ZK-EVMs. Vitalik.ca.

Boneh, D., & Shoup, V. (2023). A Graduate Course in Applied Cryptography. Stanford/Stanford.

Thibault, L. T., Jobin-Piché, M., & Bhatt, D. (2022). Blockchain Scalability and Its Foundations in Distributed Systems. IEEE Access.