Zero-Knowledge technologies have long ceased to be just 'cryptographic exoticism' — today they are becoming the core of Ethereum's scalability. This is especially evident in the case of StarkNet and Scroll — two advanced ZK-rollup solutions that are pushing the industry forward, but do so differently.
StarkNet: power and a unique approach
StarkNet is a scalable solution from the StarkWare team, built on STARK proofs (in contrast to SNARKs, do not require a trusted setup and are resistant to quantum attacks).
Cairo language: Instead of EVM, StarkNet uses its own language — Cairo. This offers more flexibility but requires a new approach to development.
Speed and scalability: High performance, low fees, and strong cryptographic reliability.
Ecosystem: Developing rapidly, with many new projects and grants from StarkWare.
StarkNet is about long-term future, security, and custom capabilities.
Scroll: closer to Ethereum, but with ZK
Scroll is a ZK-rollup that closely reproduces the EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine). Its goal is to ensure that developers don't have to learn new languages and change tools.
EVM equivalence: Smart contracts can be run just like on Ethereum — everything 'just works'.
ZK-SNARK proofs: Uses SNARKs, which provide fast verification and low fees.
Smooth onboarding: Ideal for teams looking to scale into ZK without pain.
Scroll is about compatibility, ease of transition, and clear solutions for the dev community.
Where is ZK headed?
ZK is becoming the standard. More and more L2s are transitioning to ZK proofs due to their reliability and efficiency.
Infrastructure is maturing. Tools, libraries, audits — everything is becoming more accessible.
The future of modular blockchains: ZK plays a key role in the concept of modular architectures like Celestia + Rollup stacks.
Conclusion
Both networks — StarkNet and Scroll — bring us closer to a scalable and private Web3.
The difference is in the balance between compatibility (Scroll) and technological independence (StarkNet).
The choice is up to the developer — and you.
