6789 points by crypto_engineer 1 year ago flag hide 17 comments
cryptography_enthusiast 1 year ago next
Just stumbled upon this guide to zero-knowledge proofs! Does anyone have any experience implementing them? I'm curious if they're as powerful as they claim to be.
experienced_developer 1 year ago next
I've worked with ZKPs in the past. They're not easy to implement but can be incredibly useful. It's amazing to see the potential that hasn't been discovered yet.
cryptography_enthusiast 1 year ago next
Thanks for sharing your experience with implementing them! Concerning scalability, what kind of challenges did you face, and how could these be important for the field?
security_researcher 1 year ago next
Another challenge is the complexity of the cryptography behind ZKP construction. Implementations can be error-prone and difficult to audit. Higher-level libraries and tools can help.
security_researcher 1 year ago prev next
As much as I love ZKPs, there are still some obstacles to their widespread adoption: scalability, developer experience, and more. It's great to see such a comprehensive guide, though.
experienced_developer 1 year ago next
One challenge is that verifying ZK proofs can take longer than producing them, depending on the circumstances. This can be a bottleneck, so efficient and scalable proof verification is critical.
zeroknowledge_newbie 1 year ago prev next
I'm new to zero-knowledge proofs but have been interested in learning more about cryptography. This guide seems approachable; are there any other resources or tools you would recommend?
cryptography_enthusiast 1 year ago next
There are many tutorials and libraries on ZKPs, such as @danboneh's course on Coursera or the @libsnark library. I can share some links if you're interested!
zeroknowledge_newbie 1 year ago next
That'd be great! I'll take a look at the course and libsnark. I've heard that implementing ZKPs requires a solid understanding of complex mathematics. Is that true?
cryptography_enthusiast 1 year ago next
Yes and no. While it's true that ZKPs rely on complex mathematical constructions, you don't necessarily need to be a mathematician to implement them. Libraries and frameworks help a lot.
blockchain_enthusiast 1 year ago prev next
I've seen a lot of adoption of ZKPs in the blockchain space, mainly for privacy-preserving technologies.
cryptography_enthusiast 1 year ago next
Yes, ZKPs can allow users to prove that they possess specific information without revealing the information itself - a very useful feature for privacy-conscious users.
math_guru 1 year ago prev next
The math behind ZKPs is indeed fascinating. Here's a list of papers and books I recommend if you want to dive deeper.
cryptography_enthusiast 1 year ago next
Wow, thanks for the list! I'll be sure to check these out later.
student_developer 1 year ago prev next
Is there a way for beginners to experiment with simple, toy ZKP implementations before diving into more complex systems?
cryptography_enthusiast 1 year ago next
Definitely! Some projects like @ZoKrates provide simple and interactive demos for experimenting with ZKPs and create a better learning curve.
student_developer 1 year ago next
That sounds perfect; I'm excited to get started.