What is zkSnarks?

Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge (zk-SNARKs) is a mathematical technique used in the field of cryptography to increase privacy, especially in blockchain technologies. This technique allows one party to prove possession of certain information, but without disclosing that information, the other party can verify it. This is a type of zero-knowledge proof (0KP) that offers significant advantages in terms of privacy and security. Here's a more detailed explanation of the basic features of zk-SNARKs and how it works:

1. What is Zero-Knowledge Proof?

- Zero-knowledge proof is a mathematical protocol that allows one person to make a claim, but allows another party to verify that claim without revealing the information supporting that claim. This is used to prove possession of certain information, but there is no obligation to share that information.

2. How Does zk-SNARKs Work?

- zk-SNARKs is a type of zero-knowledge proof for proving that a party owns a particular statement or claim. This technique involves very complex mathematical algorithms and curves. Below are summarized the main steps of zk-SNARKs:
- First Step (Setup): An initial parameter set is created.
- Second Step (Prover): The party making the claim (prover) performs mathematical calculations to prove that he has a certain statement and creates a zero-knowledge proof.
- Third Step (Verifier): The party who wants to verify the accuracy of the claim (verifier) performs the verification process using the zero-knowledge proof produced by the prover.
- Conclusion: In case of successful verification of zero-knowledge proof, the verifier acknowledges that the prover has a certain statement, but retains the right not to know and not disclose this statement.

3. Advantages and Areas of Use:

- zk-SNARKs are designed to provide privacy in blockchains, create anonymized payment systems, and be used in other security-oriented applications. In particular, zk-SNARKs can be implemented to increase privacy in blockchain platforms, payment systems, and databases such as Ethereum.

zk-SNARKs is a mathematical technique that offers significant advantages in privacy and security issues and is therefore widely used, especially in areas such as cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies.