First ZK Protocol Goes Live on Bitcoin Mainnet

The rollup protocol BitcoinOS has successfully verified its first transaction using zero-knowledge (ZK) proof on the Bitcoin mainnet.

We have done it! For the first time ever a ZK-proof has been verified on Bitcoin Mainnet by BitcoinOS.

The final verification was confirmed in block 853626.

A historic moment and a historic block.

A new era has begun for Bitcoin enabling unlimited scaling and functionality -… pic.twitter.com/x8akim4SJh

— BitcoinOS (@BTC_OS) July 24, 2024

According to the developers, the final confirmation of the ZK transaction was achieved in block #853 626. 

“A new era has begun for Bitcoin, enabling unlimited scaling and functionality — no soft fork required,” the publication states.

To implement the solution, BitcoinOS created unspent transaction outputs with BTC and Ordinals, which are controlled by a ZK Bitcoin smart contract. 

All elements of the protocol are on the Bitcoin mainnet. The contract itself lacks a multisignature and a specific owner. 

The protocol’s transaction verification technology is based on an updated proof library, zk-SNARK — BitSNARK. This solution allows developers to create “almost trustless bridges” for moving Bitcoin between the main network and L2.

BitcoinOS positions itself as a scalable superchain, enabling developers to create compatible rollups, decentralized applications (dapps), and DAOs, while ensuring privacy for network users.

“Bitcoin is no longer just digital gold. It is also an operating system and a platform on which an entire world of dapps can be built. […] Ethereum, Solana, and other L1 projects are no longer shielded from competition from Bitcoin,” noted BitcoinOS co-founder Edan Yago in an interview with Cointelegraph.

He added that the launch of ZK verification on the digital gold’s mainnet is closely linked to the solution’s goal of transforming it “into an operating system.”

In June, StarkWare, the company behind StarkNet, announced plans to make the L2 network a unified scaling layer for the first cryptocurrency alongside Ethereum. 

According to the firm’s co-founder Eli Ben-Sasson, such a large-scale expansion for the protocol could be realized six months after the implementation of the OP_CAT update in Bitcoin.