Manta Network Universal Circuits represent a powerful and versatile library of zero-knowledge (ZK) circuits designed for a broad range of applications. These circuits provide developers with breakthrough solutions for integrating ZK functionalities into existing applications with minimal effort.

The Universal Circuits offer ZK-as-a-Service for Solidity developers, enabling them to incorporate ZK functionalities into their applications with just a few lines of code. These functionalities include compliant DeFi payments, Web3 social identity verification, and on-chain game shuffling. Manta Network will continue to expand its offering of universal circuits to provide more ZK functionalities for Solidity applications.

Through the Universal Circuits available on Manta Pacific, developers can easily deploy EVM-native ZK applications or use advanced APIs to call ZK-enabled contracts from their existing Solidity smart contracts and dApps.

Manta Universal Circuits: ZK Application Solutions

Currently, no dedicated chain or platform is designed specifically for EVM-native ZK applications. However, ZK applications are believed to represent the next generation of decentralized applications due to their strong security advantages for users. Therefore, creating an appropriate environment for ZK applications is crucial for the continued growth and expansion of Web3.

Developing and scaling ZK applications with existing solutions presents significant challenges. Current VMs, EVMs, and zkEVMs do not provide the necessary and user-friendly tools for ZK application development and deployment, resulting in high gas costs and low performance. Moreover, zkVM protocols require developers to learn new languages and limit applications to a specific ecosystem with a constrained user base.

To address these issues, Manta Network Universal Circuits emerge as a transformative solution, simplifying the implementation of ZK technology and significantly reducing the learning curve for developers.

Simplifying ZK Application Development

Before the advent of Universal Circuits, developers had to manually construct circuits, requiring a steep learning curve to use Rust, understand circuit construction, and implement them in compilers like Circom for deployment as smart contracts. Universal Circuits eliminate these complex and time-consuming steps, making ZK application development more accessible and user-friendly.

With Universal Circuits, developers can directly use the Universal Circuit interface contracts or SDKs to seamlessly integrate ZK functionalities into Solidity smart contracts.

zkShuffle: A Practical Example of Manta Universal Circuits

An illustrative example of how Manta Universal Circuits simplify ZK application development is zkShuffle. zkShuffle provides Solidity developers with a straightforward method to create "mental poker" games using ZK, enabling the implementation of fair asymmetric games on-chain without relying on trusted third parties.

Poker is an asymmetric game where players do not know the cards other than their own but need the deck to be dealt according to the rules.

Before Universal Circuits, building zkShuffle and similar ZK applications required manual circuit construction and translation between programming languages like Rust and Solidity. However, with the introduction of Manta Universal Circuits, this complexity is greatly reduced.

Developers can now integrate zkShuffle functionalities into Solidity smart contracts using the interface contracts or the Universal Circuit SDK with just a few lines of code. This simplified process eliminates the need for deep cryptographic expertise, providing an easier and more user-friendly ZK application development experience.

By offering direct solutions for zkShuffle and other ZK applications, Manta Network Universal Circuits demonstrate transformative potential in simplifying ZK development and fostering more secure and privacy-focused decentralized applications.

Getting Started with Manta Network Universal Circuits and Manta Pacific

To begin using Manta Network Universal Circuits and explore the Manta Pacific ecosystem, follow these steps:

1. Documentation: Visit [Manta Network Documentation](https://docs.manta.network/) for comprehensive resources. This documentation guides you through the process of using Universal Circuits and developing/deploying applications on the Manta Pacific testnet.

2. Configure MetaMask: Add the Manta Pacific testnet L2 Rollup to your MetaMask wallet to interact with Manta Pacific. Use the following information:

- Network Name: Manta Testnet L2 Rollup

- Network URL: https://manta-testnet.calderachain.xyz/http

- Chain ID: 3441005

- Currency Symbol: ETH

3. RPC and Websocket URLs: Use the provided RPC URL ([https://manta-testnet.calderachain.xyz/http](https://manta-testnet.calderachain.xyz/http)) and Websocket URL ([wss://manta-testnet.calderachain.xyz/ws](wss://manta-testnet.calderachain.xyz/ws)) to interact with the Manta Pacific testnet.

4. Obtain Testnet Assets: To transact on Manta Pacific, you will need testnet assets. Manta Pacific uses ETH for gas fees. You can request faucet test tokens for Manta and Goerli (Ethereum testnet) at [Manta Pacific Info](https://pacific-info.manta.network/). Alternatively, you can bridge assets from Goerli to Manta Pacific.

By following these steps and utilizing the provided resources, you can quickly get started and explore the possibilities of Manta Network Universal Circuits and the Manta Pacific ecosystem on the testnet.