A ZK-STARK, short for Zero-Knowledge Scalable Transparent Argument of Knowledge, is a cryptographic proof system used in blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies designed to provide a way for users to prove the validity of certain information or computations without revealing any of the underlying data.
Part of a class of cryptographic techniques known as Zero-Knowledge (ZK) proofs, ZK-STARKs allow one party (the prover) to demonstrate knowledge of certain information to another party (the verifier) without revealing the actual information itself.
One of the major advantages of ZK-STARKs is their scalability. When dealing with large datasets, ZK-STARKs require less time for both proving and verifying compared to ZK-SNARKs. This makes them ideal for use cases dealing with high data volumes.
ZK-STARKs are designed to be transparent, meaning that anyone can verify the correctness of a ZK-STARK proof without needing to rely on a trusted setup or specific cryptographic assumptions. They have various applications in the cryptocurrency space, including privacy-preserving transactions, verifiable computation, and secure data sharing.
