A Comparative Evaluation of Zero Knowledge Proof Techniques

Abstract

Common to many distributed systems such as the Internet-of-Things (IoT) is decentralisation, often with a growing number of devices with diverse computational capabilities and security requirements. If integrated into critical applications, ensuring secure communication and data integrity is critical. In particular, privacy and security concerns are growing with the rise of these architectures. Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) techniques are solutions to improve security without compromising on privacy. While the advantages of ZKP techniques are well-documented, it is important to consider the inherent limitations of these distributed environments, such as restricted processing power, memory capacity, and energy constraints, when aiming to solve security concerns. Here, we select two prominent ZKP techniques, Bulletproof and zk-STARK, and experimentally compare a number of their variants for a set of architecture-specific assessment criteria.