StarkNet roundup #52

Weekly summary of all things StarkNet

Feb 13, 2023

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Welcome to the 52th edition of my weekly comprehensive StarkNet summary. The previous update can be found here. 👇🏻

Starknet_Roundup

StarkNet roundup #51

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Ecosystem stats

Motivation
Starknet’s current architecture can be summarized as follows:
The sequencer constructs a blockchain by periodically creating Starknet blocks from user transactions.
The prover periodically computes proofs of state transitions according to execution of many Starknet blocks with respect to Starknet’s previous L1 state.
Each L1 state update occurs in two steps, where the first is followed almost immediately by the second.
A proof is sent to an L1 verifier contract.
An L1 state update transaction is sent to Starknet’s core contract. It executes successfully if the L1 verifier has verified a suitable proof and the proof’s input state coincides with the previous L1 state.
There is usually a latency of several hours between creation and propagation of a Starknet block on L2 by the sequencer, and the block’s L1 finalization (inclusion in an L1 state update).
While the sequencer and prover are operated by the same entity, users can trust the operator’s reputation that every Starknet block published on L2 will eventually be proven and updated on L1. In other words, users trust the operator not to fork. Assuming such trust, the latency between L2 propagation and L1 finality is significant only for L1/L2 operations e.g withdrawals.
An obvious step toward decentralization would involve replacing the single sequencer with a Sybil resistant consensus protocol. In such a scenario, we assume confidence in L2 consensus to be much smaller than confidence in L1 security, which is Starknet’s eventual security. Without trust, latency between L2 consensus and L1 finality is significant to user experience because it marks the latency of L1 security and L1/L2 interaction. This justifies a fast finality gadget which has a latency of several minutes at most and also inspires greater user confidence than the L2 consensus by itself.

Useful links & articles

@zkxprotocol - ZKX Architecture: A deep dive - This blog deep dives into the ZKX Architecture : node network, consensus mechanism, smart contract architecture and what's next
@EliBenSasson - more details on Visa's use of account abstraction on Starknet
@TrustlessState - 5 Things I Learned at StarkWare Sessions
@StarkNetAfrica - Today we will be taking a detailed look into @Starknet_id, an identity/naming protocol built on @Starknet - Deep dive into @Starknet_id
@StarkNetEco - Today we dive into the science behind zero-knowledge proofs - A must read if you want to know more about how ZKs work
@starkience - What's the purpose of the @Starknet Full Node? - Explanation in this thread
@Starknet_OG - Looking for a complete Airdrop strategy on the most promising L2 (StarkNet) ? - Here it is
@sphinxdex - We're more bullish on the #StarkNet ecosystem than ever - Here are 5 learnings from the past week
@ETazou - Here's a new addition to my series on demystifying - today's about the current flow of originating a transaction on Starknet
@scaling_x - Why StarkNet Could Be the Dark Horse in the Layer 2 Race - See why @scaling_x believes StarkNet could become one of the most successful Layer 2 scaling solutions
@StarkWareLtd - Israeli blockchain firm develops ‘fire prevention’ tech to thwart FTX-style fraud
@bitsplaining - Layer 2 Landscape #50 - Have you been eagerly awaiting the juicy deets on how its going in the Ethereum Layer2 ecosystem ? - Let's get into it in this thread

Developer resources

@federicocarrone - Watch our starknet prover repo. In the upcoming weeks we will publish our prover and we will build it in the open as we always do
@freshPizzaDev - Getting creative with Account Abstraction on Starknet
@tarrenceva - Cairo 1 introduces a new syscall, `replace_class`, which replaces a contracts implementation. Introduced to enable the regenesis, it will also replace the proxy pattern on Starknet
@sideguide_dev - We are excited to introduce Mendable: A chat-powered search for developers trained in your docs - It answers developer questions automatically and gives you insights on chat sessions
@federicocarrone - After exactly 8 weeks of work we got our starknet in rust implementation that also uses cairo-rs working with simple contracts
@eniwhere_ - New to Cairo 1 and want to get started in less than a minute? - You can use this repository template
@StarkNetAfrica - We’d be helping you understand how to write tests in @CairoLang using Protostar - An explanatory thread about this
@magicking_ - ZeroSync: A STARK proof to sync a Bitcoin full node in an instant
@FuzzingLabs - Are you looking for formal verification on @CairoLang & #Starknet contracts? - Thoth symbolic execution engine can actually be used for formal verification as well
@codingcas - Understanding StarkNet Contract Cairo (syntax, felt, decorators, implicit arguments) - A presentation video
@0xSacha - Did you know that major L1 Dapps could improve their decentralisation and scalability using @StarkWareLtd SHARP ? - Introducing the first @iearnfinance vault using ZKProofs ( POC )
@tarrenceva - Cairo 1, introduces a powerful type system and devs no longer need to be aware of the underlying implementation - Let's see how in this thread
@argentHQ - Writing and deploying your first NFT on Starknet - @argentHQ teach you how to write and deploy an ERC721 token on the network

Dates and Events

@StarkNetAfrica - Next week, @m_a_y_o_w_a, @Baser_jew, and @codingcas will join us to talk about how they got involved with @CairoLang - Date : Wednesday, 15th February
@StarkNetAfrica - StarkNet Nairobi Bootcamp - A 2-weeks Cairo class and a hackathon at the completion of the class - Date : Date: 27th Feb - 10th March
@0xWiktoria - Glad to inform you guys that the first Starknet meetup will take place in Warsaw in the next few weeks - Date : TBA

You can check out all of the past updates here.

None of the content of this newsletter is financial advice. Always do your own research.

Thank you for reading, and see you next week. ⏳

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StarkNet roundup #52

Weekly summary of all things StarkNet

Protocol & dev tool updates

Media highlights

Ecosystem Highlights

Ecosystem stats

StarkNet Community & Shamans Highlights

Motivation

Heavily discussed StarkNet Improvement Proposals

Useful links & articles

Developer resources

Dates and Events

Discussion about this post