Blockchain scaling technology firm StarkWare is set to partner with Chainlink Labs to bring oracle services, data and price feeds to the StarkNet ecosystem. The coalition will see StarkWare join Chainlink’s SCALE program and brings Chainlink price feeds to StarkNet’s testnet. Starknet tokens will also be used to fund certain operating costs for Chainlink oracle nodes, giving Starknet developers access to Chainlink oracle services and data feeds. Chainlink is a decentralized oracle network that enables smart contracts to securely access off-chain data sources, APIs, and payment systems. It allows smart contracts to interact with real-world data and events, making it …

Ethereum layer-2 scaling protocol Polygon (MATIC) is carrying out performance testing of zero-knowledge rollup (zk rollups) technology ahead of full integration with its mainnet. The development of the technology, called Polygon zkEVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine), has been ongoing for over three years by the Polygon Hermez team. The team has already confirmed that zero-knowledge proofs are possible on Ethereum, by generating over 12,000 zk-proofs in a primary version of the zkEVM testnet. David Schwartz, project lead of Polygon zkEVM and PolygonID, unpacked the development of the functionality in correspondence with Cointelegraph. Layer-2 platforms have continued to evolve and improve functionality …

Ethereum layer-2 scaling platform StarkNet has overhauled its in-house Cairo coding language to make Web3 development accessible to developers. An announcement shared with Cointelegraph outlined the upgrades to Cairo 1.0, which is touted to emulate characteristics of the popular programming language Rust. The overhaul intends to allow developers with general coding experience to begin building decentralized applications on StarkNet’s Ethereum layer-2 network. StarkWare co-founder and president Eli Ben-Sasson told Cointelegraph that making layer-2 development more accessible to developers of varying backgrounds was the main reason for Cairo’s revamp: “Primary drivers were safety and ease of use, and conducting the overhaul …

Zero-knowledge (ZK)-Rollup tech company StarkWare has officially open sourced its new programming language compiler, Cairo 1.0, which will soon be supported on Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution StarkNet in Q1 2023. The news was announced by StarkWare — the company behind StarkNet — in a Nov. 25 Twitter post. StarkWare’s rollup technology and recursive proofs offer the potential to compress millions of transactions on L2 into a single transaction on Ethereum, however the project has been criticized for maintaining control over its IP, not least of all by its more open source focused competitor zkSync. StarkWare described open sourcing Cairo as …

Ethereum layer-2 scaling platform StarkWare has officially launched the StarkNet Foundation with the introduction of a diverse board that aims to safeguard Ethereum's decentralization and censorship resistance. Seven individuals, including key members from the Ethereum ecosystem and wider cryptocurrency space, will head up the non-profit entity. An announcement shared with Cointelegraph outlined the role of the StarkNet Foundation in ensuring the maintenance and security of StarkNet’s network as well as its development and expansion. Cointelegraph reached out to Eric Wall to unpack his appointment to the Foundation's board. Wall is a blockchain researcher and whistleblower who has exposed systemic flaws …

While Ethereum-based layer-2 solutions have been focused on hyperscaling the network, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin believes layer 3s will serve a far different purpose — providing “customized functionality.” Buterin shared his thoughts in a Sept. 17 post, providing three “visions” of what layer 3s will be used for in the future. The Ethereum co-founder said a third layer on the blockchain makes sense only if it provides a different function to layer 2s, which have been used mainly to enhance scaling via Zero-Knowledge (ZK) Rollup technology. “A three-layer scaling architecture that consists of stacking the same scaling scheme on top …

For all the good that Bitcoin brings to the table, it also possesses a commonly accepted issue in scalability. Bitcoin can only process a limited number of transactions per block and, as of Aug. 17, 2022, can handle about five transactions per second, which in comparison to most other blockchains is low. The factor limiting scalability lies in Bitcoin’s cryptographic algorithm. The Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) is the essential cryptographic algorithm that powers Bitcoin and ensures that only the rightful owner can access and manage their funds. Currently, verification of the ECDSA, a Bitcoin signature allowing to carry …