zk-SNARKs

zk-SNARKs (Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Arguments of Knowledge) produce tiny proofs that verify quickly — ideal for on-chain verification. Zcash pioneered SNARKs for private transactions; many early rollups adopted them for scalability.

A SNARK proof might be a few hundred bytes regardless of how large the original computation was. Ethereum gas for verification stays bounded, making SNARKs attractive for rollups posting proofs to L1.

Most SNARK constructions require a one-time ceremony generating public parameters. Multi-party ceremonies reduce trust — as long as one participant destroys their share, the system stays secure.