Programmable Privacy
How Aztec is being built
Aztec will launch as a credibly neutral, decentralized network. The protocol is being developed as open source software by Aztec Labs and the community. Together we are designing, building and auditing much of the software that will be run by Aztec network stakeholders, such as infrastructure providers, wallets, and other core services.
Contributors to Aztec uphold many of the values of the Ethereum community:
- building in public
- having a rigorous commitment to open source
- believe in a permissionless, compliant, scalable and censorship-resistant system.
Our Cryptography
Aztec is inspired on Ethereum. We believe in transparency for the protocol, but privacy for the user. This programmability is achieved through Smart Contracts, which are in fact Zero-Knowledge circuits.
To allow for this, we focus on two main components:
- Noir - We started developing Noir long before Aztec came into being. As an easy, open-source domain specific programming language for writing zero-knowledge circuits, it became the perfect language for writing Aztec Smart Contracts. Read about standalone Noir in the Noir Lang Documentation.
- Honk - A collection of cutting-edge cryptography, from proving systems, to compilers, and other sidecars. These will support Aztec's rollup and allow for fast, private, client-side proving.
Media
Privacy Preserving Smart Contracts
Public-private Composability
Disclaimer
We are building Aztec as transparently as we can. The documents published here are living documents. The protocol, sandbox, language, and tools are all subject to change over time.
Please see here for details of known Aztec protocol and Aztec Sandbox limitations.
If you would like to help us build Aztec: