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noname

4 parts June 2023 – November 2024 26 min in total David Wong · Katat Choi · ZK/SEC
  1. Part 1

    noname: ZK app developers should be able to see down to the constraints

    Zero-knowledge apps are evolving, and we've been diving into their two main forms: VM instructions and arithmetic circuits. Understanding the "assembly" layer is crucial for developers, especially when optimizing and ensuring security. We’ve played around with a new toy language called **noname**, blending Golang and Rust vibes to make zkApps more understandable. With **noname**, you get detailed insights about how your code translates into gates, offering a clearer picture of the underlying "assembly" and helping pinpoint compiler bugs. If you're curious about enhancing your low-level programming skills or peeking into circuit construction, check out our experiments and see if this inspires you to create better debugging tools!

  2. Part 2

    noname meets Ethereum: Integration with SnarkJS

    We're excited to share that our programming language, noname, now supports R1CS, making it easier to write zero-knowledge (ZK) circuits and deploy them on Ethereum using SnarkJS. This update introduces an alternative to the common Circom language, with a simple and intuitive syntax inspired by Rust and Golang. In this post, we illustrate how to deploy a noname-based Sudoku circuit on Ethereum, demonstrating core benefits like proving a solution's correctness without revealing it. Dive in to explore how noname could potentially unify the fragmented zkSNARK ecosystem and simplify your circuit writing process!

  3. Part 3

    noname 2.0: Unlocking Numeric Generics, Folding Schemes, and a Playground

    We're excited to introduce the preview of noname 2.0, packed with features that make developing advanced ZK circuits easier than ever. This update includes flexible generic-sized arrays, seamless integration with folding schemes for IVC, and an interactive online playground to test and share code. We've also optimized R1CS constraint generation to boost performance. Plus, there are numerous community-driven enhancements and bug fixes that make the language more robust and user-friendly. Dive in to explore the specifics of our journey, learn from the contributions of our vibrant open-source community, and see how noname is evolving into a more versatile tool for developers.

  4. Part 4

    noname 3.0: Native Hints, Standard Library, Compiler Visualizer, And More!

    We're super excited to introduce noname 3.0, our zk programming language inspired by Rust and Golang, now achieving full feature parity with Circom. This update brings native hints, a standard library, debugging features, and a lot more to enhance developer experience. Dive into how hint functions work with an 'unsafe' keyword to balance innovation and security, explore our new stdlib modules, and see how the compiler pipeline visualizer can help you understand the compiling process. Plus, check out our next steps and how you can contribute to shaping noname's future.

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