Key Concepts

What is WASM

WASM, or WebAssembly, is an open standard binary code format similar to assembly language. Its initial objective was to provide an alternative to JavaScript with improved performance. Benefiting from its platform independence and front-end flexibility—it can be compiled from a variety of languages including C, C++, AssemblyScript, and Rust—along with its robust isolated runtime and impressive speed nearing that of native binaries, WebAssembly's usage is increasing in distributed cloud and edge computing. Recently, it has become a favored binary format for running customized functions on platforms like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Fastly, Cloudflare, and Mozilla.

What is zkWasmVM

ZkWasmVM is a ZKSNARK backed virtual machine first developed by Delphinus lab.

ZkWasm simulates the execution of WASM bytecode and produces zero-knowledge proofs for the simulation results. The proofs generated by the zkWasm virtual machine can then be utilized to assure any entity, without revealing confidential information, that the outcome of the simulation adheres to the semantic specifications of WASM.

How ZK technology is used in ZKCross

ZKCross leverages widely adopted WASM, which has been extensively used in browser and mobile environments and supported by major companies. This enables us to load WASM natively in browsers, for example, and interact directly with it. To ensure the honest and accurate execution of the WASM code, we employ the zkWasm virtual machine, which emulates the code to generate zero-knowledge proofs. These proofs are then uploaded to the blockchain for verification and settlement.