3 · SNARKs vs STARKs

3. Proving Systems: Groth16, Plonk, and STARKs

Trusted setups, KZG commitments, Plonkish arithmetization, FRI protocols, and transparent proofs.

11 min read · 2 MCQs

Groth16 vs Plonk

Groth16 produces tiny proofs (~130 bytes) with microsecond on-chain verification, but requires a per-circuit trusted setup ceremony (toxic waste). Plonk introduces universal and updatable setups using KZG polynomial commitments, allowing any circuit to be proved using the same ceremony baseline.

STARKs & Fast Reed-Solomon IOP (FRI)

STARKs replace elliptic curve pairings with hash functions and the FRI protocol. They are transparent (zero trusted setup) and post-quantum secure, but yield larger proof sizes (~50–100 KB) that require more on-chain gas to verify.

Chapter quiz

2 questions · pass mark 75%

1. What is the primary trade-off of the Groth16 proving system?
2. What makes STARKs post-quantum secure?