Multi-client issues of Zk-EVM

Kabir903

"Vitalik Buterin believes that ZK-EVM will become an essential component of Ethereum Layer 1's security and verification process in the future. Zero-knowledge (ZK) technology enables developers to prove the authenticity of transactions or messages without revealing any additional information.

This means that one party in a transaction can convince the other that the message they have sent is genuinely valid without disclosing any information beyond the message's validity. However, according to Vitalik Buterin's analysis, the privacy-preserving nature of zero-knowledge proof technology may disrupt the broader EVM landscape, as Ethereum clients have subtle differences in implementing protocol rules.

At the current stage, second-layer protocols in ZK Rollups have successfully used zero-knowledge proof technology to help scale the Ethereum blockchain by bundling multiple transactions into a single proof. Nevertheless, as ZK-EVM evolves to execute transactions on the mainnet, Vitalik Buterin believes that ""ZK-EVM has effectively become a third type of Ethereum client, equally crucial for the security of the Ethereum network, just like the existing execution clients and consensus clients.""

However, once ZK-EVM is considered a third type of Ethereum client, Vitalik Buterin raises the following question:

In practice, how do we create a ""multi-client"" ecosystem for Ethereum blocks based on zero-knowledge proofs' correctness?

As the Ethereum ecosystem continues to expand, Vitalik Buterin aims to maintain the advantages of the ""multi-client"" concept while leveraging the capabilities of ZK-EVM to enhance Ethereum's scalability, security, and decentralization. According to Vitalik Buterin, the primary technical challenges of using zero-knowledge proof technology for multiple clients are related to latency and low data efficiency. Additionally, because of different interpretations of protocol rules or specific implementations of ZK-EVM, each Ethereum client handles zero-knowledge proofs differently."

Kahn332

The issues with multiple clients need to be resolved effectively.

Kalkin995

This is also challenging to handle.

Pooja193

The more clients, the better for customers.