Skip to main content

Introduction

Aztec Network is the first private ZK-rollup on Ethereum, enabling decentralized applications to access privacy and scale. Aztec’s rollup is secured by its industry-standard PLONK proving mechanism used by the leading zero-knowledge scaling projects.

At Aztec we believe decentralization is premised on individual rights. Without widely accessible privacy, we compromise our ability to choose how we live our lives and earn our livelihoods.

That’s why we’re building Aztec Network to deliver privacy without compromise:

  • Private. Aztec is the only zero-knowledge rollup built with a privacy-first architecture from the ground up, allowing users to access their favorite apps on Layer 1 completely privately.
  • Accessible. Proving Aztec transaction validity through zero-knowledge proofs on Ethereum reduces transaction costs by up to 100x.
  • Compliant. Our programmably private system supports opt-in auditability and compliance while fully preserving confidentiality.

“When we started Aztec, the technology to scale blockchains privately didn’t exist. Since then, we’ve assembled a team of world-class cryptographers who continuously redefine the state-of-the-art. Inventing PLONK — the paradigm-defining universal zk-SNARK — showcases our ability to produce technology that matches our ambitions: unlocking an entire universe of blockchain applications that couldn’t exist without privacy.” - Zac Williamson, CEO and Cofounder, Aztec

Zk.money​

Our first product is zk.money, a private transfer protocol built on Aztec. Since launch, zk.money has had over 75,000 registered users, 225,000+ transactions, and over $80 million in total transactions, all while being 96% cheaper than existing private transfer protocols.

You can view some of the latest statistics on the block explorer and on Dune Analytics.

Aztec Connect​

Aztec Connect is the first private bridge for Ethereum’s decentralized finance ecosystem. It allows users to confidentially access world-class DeFi services on Ethereum with up to 100x cost savings, all while strengthening Aztec’s existing privacy guarantees.

At launch, Aztec Connect extends the capabilities of zk.money, adding functionality from blue-chip DeFi partners. The Aztec SDK allows any Ethereum project to permissionlessly integrate Aztec, unlocking instant privacy and cost-savings.

Aztec Connect accomplishes the above while maintaining two significant advantages over other scaling solutions:

  • No redeployment of core contracts. Developers write a simple 50–100 line interface connecting Aztec Network Layer 1 smart contracts.
  • Preservation of Layer 1 liquidity. Users interact directly with Layer 1 liquidity, reducing fragmentation and liquidity leakage to Layer 2.

Read more about Aztec Connect here.