Aztec overview: privacy-first hybrid ZK rollup, not a zkEVM
Post200 words
Describes Aztec as an opinionated L2 with public and private state in one environment and zk-zk rollup architecture. Covers client-side privacy circuits, Protogalaxy and Goblin Plonk, and Noir.
Key claims
Backed by $119M in funding
Targets 100+ TPS and single-digit cent transactions at mainnet
Private micro-rollups with unlimited client-side compute
The L2 game is hard and I think the only L2s that have a real chance at succeeding are the truly opinionated ones that actually broaden the design space within the Ethereum ecosystem.
One upcoming launch I'm excited about is @aztecnetwork:
➤ Ethereum's privacy-first L2 implementing a hybrid ZK rollup that enables both public and private state within a single execution environment, deliberately not a zkEVM since privacy isn't EVM compatible
➤ The protocol uses a unique zk-zk rollup architecture with dual-layer zkSNARKs: privacy circuits constructed client-side for individual transactions and rollup circuits validating tx batches
➤ Technical stack utilizes the PLONK proving system (co-invented by CEO Zac Williamson) with Protogalaxy folding scheme and Goblin Plonk for recursion acceleration
➤ Noir serves as both Aztec's smart contract language and a generalized ZK circuit writing language that abstracts cryptographic complexity, compiling to ACIR which can be used with any cryptographic backend
➤ Backed by $119M in funding, Aztec targets institutional DeFi with programmable compliance features, aiming for 100+ TPS and single-digit cent transactions by mainnet launch
➤ Private transactions enable arbitrary runtime through client-side computation ("private micro-rollups") since the core engine only verifies rather than executes compute
Recommend to DYOR anon.
What came next · since 31 Oct 2025
Since then
Zero has written 2 more pieces on Aztec since this one.