The Mina community is making great progress towards testing its zero knowledge smart contracts, a key milestone on the product roadmap. A subset of community members is currently testing them on QANetwork Berkeley before opening up to all members on an incentivized testnet soon. As Mina prepares for that and the upcoming launch of its Software Development Kit (SDK), it is important for the technology to be accessible to more people, including developers. Accordingly, Mina’s Snapps (SNARK apps) will now be referred to as zkApps (zero knowledge apps).
Why zkApps?
zkApps, previously known as snapps, are Mina’s zero knowledge smart contracts. They will make a huge impact on Web3 by enabling data privacy and end-to-end security for users and developers.
Zero knowledge is becoming an important part of the crypto conversation and Mina is among the first to provide an easy-to-use Typescript library to build with them for real-world applications. The name zkApps reflects this shift to join the Mina ecosystem’s wide range of zero knowledge proof-based offerings including; zkApps, zkOracles, and zkBridges.
zkApps in the Codebase
Keep an eye out for zkApp name updates in the codebase and documentation soon. Ecosystem partner O(1) Labs will rename the “Snapp CLI” to “Mina zkApp CLI” and will work with the Mina Foundation to put protocol-related naming changes into effect during the Berkeley QANet. Find instructions on where to install the changes in their blog.
We are excited to see Mina zkApp developers play a key role in realizing the user-owned Web3 with its privacy and security features. Stay up to date with the latest news on zkApps by subscribing to the Mina Newsletter.
About Mina Protocol
Mina is the world’s lightest blockchain, powered by participants. Rather than apply brute computing force, Mina uses advanced cryptography and recursive zk-SNARKs to design an entire blockchain that is about 22kb, the size of a couple of tweets. It is the first layer-1 to enable efficient implementation and easy programmability of zero knowledge smart contracts (zkApps). With its unique privacy features and ability to connect to any website, Mina is building a private gateway between the real world and crypto—and the secure, democratic future we all deserve.
