Starknet, a layer-2 Ethereum blockchain known for leveraging zero-knowledge cryptography, is now hosting appchains. StarkWare, the primary force behind Starknet, announced this development on Wednesday, revealing to CoinDesk that its 'SN Stack' will enable developers to effortlessly create blockchains tailored to specific cryptocurrency use cases. Initially announced in July 2023, StarkWare's customizable stack for developers aims to facilitate the creation of personalized blockchains.
This move follows similar releases from competitors, who are also developing layer-2 blockchains to enhance Ethereum's capacity by providing faster and more affordable transaction lanes. Founded in 2018, StarkWare was among the first to adopt zero-knowledge cryptography, a rapidly evolving encryption technique underpinning next-generation blockchains. Compared to 'optimistic' layer-2 networks, ZK-based chains like StarkWare are considered more secure and advanced, albeit more challenging to build and scale for generalized use.
According to StarkWare co-founder and CEO Eli Ben-Sasson, 'From now on, projects can build app-chains using the gold-standard ZK-STARK cryptography with the ease and low cost that has only been possible with optimistic rollups.' The SN stack offers various options to cater to different developer needs, including Madara, an open-source and modular framework for flexibility, Dojo, optimized for gaming and on-chain applications, and the StarkWare Sequencer, which provides the full, high-performance infrastructure of public Starknet.