The ZK Rollup Ecosystem Panorama Under the Ethereum Scalability Dilemma

As the world’s largest smart contract platform, Ethereum handles billions of dollars in transactions daily. However, with user growth, the mainnet faces unprecedented challenges—rising transaction fees and increasing network congestion. Although Ethereum 2.0 upgrades are underway in phases, they are unlikely to fundamentally solve scalability issues in the short term. In this context, Layer 2 solutions have emerged, among which ZK Rollup, with its unique cryptographic mechanism, has become the most promising scalability direction.

Core Mechanism of ZK Rollup

What is ZK Rollup?

Simply put, ZK Rollup is a technology that “packs” multiple transactions into a single transaction. Imagine busy city streets clogged with traffic; ZK Rollup is like building a bypass road—moving transaction processing off-chain and then verifying transaction validity through zero-knowledge proofs(Zero-Knowledge Proofs), finally submitting only a concise cryptographic proof to the Ethereum mainnet.

Operation Process Explained

ZK Rollup achieves efficient scalability through a hybrid “on-chain + off-chain” architecture:

Step 1: Off-chain Transaction Execution — Large volumes of transactions occur within a separate virtual machine, significantly reducing costs and increasing speed.

Step 2: Generating Cryptographic Proof — The system produces a zero-knowledge proof for the entire batch of transactions, verifying their legality without revealing any individual transaction details.

Step 3: Mainnet Verification — The proof is submitted to Ethereum’s mainnet, where validators confirm the integrity of off-chain transactions.

This design allows ZK Rollup to maintain Ethereum’s security while greatly increasing transaction throughput—a perfect balance.

Advantages of ZK Rollup Compared to Other Layer 2 Solutions

The fundamental difference between ZK Rollup and other Layer 2 solutions like Optimistic Rollups lies in the verification logic. Optimistic Rollups assume transactions are valid by default and only check during disputes; in contrast, ZK Rollup cryptographically verifies each transaction.

Stronger Security: ZK Rollup provides immediate finality without waiting for dispute periods.

No Trusted Intermediaries: It does not rely on the “honest verifier assumption,” ensuring security purely through mathematics.

Enhanced Privacy: Transaction details are hidden within proofs, offering higher privacy levels.

Environmentally Friendly and Efficient: Off-chain processing reduces energy consumption and supports cross-chain interoperability.

Ecosystem of ZK Rollup Projects to Watch in 2025

Leading TVL Tier — Market Leaders

1. zkSync Era — Leading EVM-Compatible Solution

Developed by Matter Labs, zkSync Era uses zkRollup technology focused on user experience. Its core value is full compatibility with the Ethereum Virtual Machine(EVM), allowing existing smart contracts to migrate directly without rewriting code.

• Total Value Locked (TVL): (million
• Launch Date: March 2023 (Full-featured mainnet)
• Native Token: ZKS, used for network fees, governance, and staking

zkSync Era aims to address Ethereum mainnet’s two major pain points—high transaction fees and low throughput—by batch processing transactions to significantly reduce costs.

2. Manta Network — Pioneer in Privacy DeFi

Manta Pacific leverages zk-SNARKs technology to enable fully private encrypted transactions. After launch, it experienced rapid growth, with TVL surpassing Coinbase Base, ranking as the fourth-largest Layer-2 network on Ethereum.

• Market Cap: $33.76M
• Launch Date: September 2023 (Testnet)
• Native Token: MANTA

Manta’s innovation lies in encrypting transaction details while still allowing verification, providing maximum protection for user assets and amounts. It fills a gap in DeFi privacy protection.

3. Starknet — Model Application of STARKs Technology

Starknet is based on STARKs)Scalable Transparent Arguments of Knowledge$555 , a zero-knowledge proof technology that offers high scalability and quantum resistance.

• Market Cap: $396.48M
• Launch Date: February 2022
• Native Token: STRK, used for fees, governance, and staking

STARKs do not require trusted setup, offering clear advantages over zk-SNARKs. Starknet supports general-purpose computation, capable of running any smart contract, providing a versatile platform for developers.

4. Linea — Consensys’ Expansion Solution

Linea is a ZK Rollup Layer-2 solution launched by Consensys, utilizing zk-SNARKs to verify off-chain transactions. The project emphasizes developer integration ease, making building and deploying Ethereum applications more efficient.

• Market Cap: $107.26M
• Launch Date: August 2023
• Native Token: LINEA (用途待公佈)

Linea’s main advantages are scalability and transaction speed, offering higher throughput than similar competitors.

5. Polygon zkEVM — Ecosystem Integration Model

Polygon zkEVM is a ZK Rollup solution within the Polygon suite, executing transactions off-chain in an EVM-compatible environment, then verifying via ZK proofs.

• Total Value Locked (TVL): (million
• Launch Date: March 2023 (Mainnet Beta)
• Native Token: MATIC

As part of the Polygon ecosystem, zkEVM benefits from network effects and seamless integration with other Polygon solutions, highly friendly to Ethereum developers.

) Emerging Niche — Specialized Directions

6. ZetaChain — Cross-Chain Communication Explorer

ZetaChain innovatively develops “general bridging technology” based on ZK Rollup, enabling secure and efficient cross-chain communication. It uses zk-SNARKs to verify cross-chain transactions without revealing sensitive information.

• Market Cap: $80.87M
• Launch Date: February 2021
• Native Token: ZETA, for fees, governance, and cross-chain functions

ZetaChain’s uniqueness lies in enabling dApps to seamlessly use assets and data across multiple blockchains, with its “ZetaML” off-chain smart contract execution technology.

7. Scroll — High Throughput Pursuer

Scroll focuses on achieving high throughput and low latency by compressing off-chain transactions with zk-SNARKs, aggregating them into a single proof for submission to the mainnet.

• Total Value Locked (TVL): $63.46 million
• Launch Date: October 2023 (Bridge functionality)
• Native Token: Not yet launched

Scroll emphasizes full EVM compatibility, allowing easy porting of existing Ethereum smart contracts, suitable for DeFi and high transaction volume scenarios.

8. Taiko — Decentralized Sequencing Breakthrough

Taiko innovatively adopts a “Layer 1-based sequencing mechanism,” where sequencers are driven by the underlying Layer-1 blockchain rather than centralized entities, fundamentally solving the centralization risk in Rollup sequencing.

• Launch Date: January 2024 (Testnet)
• Funding: (million

Taiko’s sequencing innovation simplifies Layer-2 value chains, improves trust assumptions, and significantly lowers adoption barriers for developers.

9. ZKFair — Guardian of Fair Transactions

ZKFair is a decentralized exchange based on ZK Rollup, with core innovation in preventing front-running)front-running$115 , providing protections against transaction order manipulation.

• Native Token: ZKF
• Launch Date: December 2023

ZKFair uses zero-knowledge proofs for off-chain transaction batching, submitting batches to Ethereum, with strong anti-front-running capabilities meeting traders’ demands for transaction integrity.

10. Aztec Protocol — Pioneer in Privacy Computation

Aztec employs a hybrid public-private ZK Rollup model supporting privacy-optional smart contract logic execution. Its core language Noir is designed specifically for zero-knowledge circuits.

• Launch Year: 2017
• Native Token: Not yet launched

Aztec’s advantages include programmable privacy, hybrid execution models, and public-private composability, aligning with Ethereum’s open-source ethos.

11. DeGate V1 — Expert in Large-Scale Trading

DeGate V1 is built on ZK Rollup technology, focusing on low slippage and low-cost performance for large trades.

• Native Token: DG, for governance, staking, and fees
• Launch Date: September 2022

DeGate aims to be the most optimized decentralized exchange, especially suitable for users needing low-cost large transactions.

Real Challenges Facing ZK Rollup Development

Despite promising prospects, ZK Rollup still faces several challenges:

Technical Complexity — Advanced cryptography implementation and maintenance are costly.

Flexibility Limitations — Some transaction types are inefficient to process, restricting application scenarios.

Proof Generation Efficiency — Creating cryptographic proofs requires substantial computational resources, with ongoing cost considerations.

User Adoption — Broad user trust and infrastructure support are necessary for large-scale deployment.

Governance Models — Protocol upgrade decisions require effective decentralized mechanisms.

Long-term Outlook for ZK Rollup

As R&D continues, ZK Rollup is gradually overcoming complexity issues. Ongoing innovations are addressing liquidity fragmentation, and specialized projects are emerging rapidly. The high-quality project ecosystem suggests ZK Rollup will enter a phase of rapid maturity.

With steady growth and cross-ecosystem collaborations, ZK Rollup has the potential to fundamentally change Ethereum’s scalability landscape, ushering in a new era of high-speed, low-cost, and secure blockchain applications. From DeFi to NFTs, payments to governance, ZK Rollup will become a key infrastructure for large-scale blockchain adoption.

Summary

ZK Rollup represents the cutting edge of Layer 2 scalability solutions, efficiently processing transactions off-chain while ensuring security, thereby reshaping the Ethereum ecosystem. The emergence of numerous innovative projects—from privacy DeFi to cross-chain communication, from fair trading to decentralized sequencing—demonstrates the versatile application potential of this technology.

Whether mature projects like zkSync Era, Linea, or emerging stars like Taiko and ZetaChain exploring niche directions, the entire ZK Rollup ecosystem is paving the way for large-scale blockchain adoption. Its ability to break current limitations will unleash the full potential of blockchain technology.