Starknet, a Layer 2 scaling solution on Ethereum, has taken a monumental step towards hyperscaling. In collaboration with StarkWare, Herodotus unveiled Integrity Verifier, a breakthrough tool that improves Starknet scalability by introducing Layer 3 (L3) app chains. This innovation is expected to significantly reduce transaction costs while increasing security.
.@Starknet has taken another important step towards hyperscaling! @HerodotusDev, in collaboration with @StarkWareltd, has introduced the Integrity Verifier, a breakthrough tool for Starknet, opening the door to L3 appchains!
This allows transaction costs to be reduced…
— CryptoTraalala.stark (@CryptoTraalala) May 12, 2024
Appchains are specialized blockchains designed for specific applications and provide customized scaling solutions. StarkWare pioneered appchains as a new scaling approach, which can function as private Layer 2 (L2) chains handling data directly on Ethereum (L1) or as Layer 3 (L3) chains handling data on Starknet (L2 ) settle.
Unlike general L2 networks, app chains are app-specific rollups that take over the security of the underlying layer. This layered structure enhances the compression benefits of each layer’s proofs. For example, if each layer reduces costs a thousandfold, L3 chains could provide a millionfold reduction over L1 while maintaining robust security.
Benefits of Appchains
The main benefit of app chains is their ability to provide performance and security by dedicating a specific network to each application. Throughput remains unaffected by other applications, allowing higher transaction volumes and reducing costs. Appchains take over the security of the base layer, ensuring data integrity.
In addition to performance, appchains allow developers to customize network settings such as block size and data availability mode to suit the needs of their applications. They can also implement features not natively supported on Starknet, such as unique governance mechanisms and custom market rates.
The Integrity Verifier, developed by Herodotus in collaboration with StarkWare, enables the cost-effective development of app chains on Starknet. Transactions are executed on L3 chains and encapsulated in proofs proving their validity, generated via Herodotus’ Stone tool and later using Stwo. The Integrity Verifier then confirms the validity of these proofs on Starknet, ensuring security.
In addition to transactional security, the verifier facilitates scalable validation for store proofs and zero-knowledge machine learning (ZKML). Herodotus has partnered with Giza, a pioneer in ZKML, to help developers build secure AI applications using this cutting-edge technology.