In a groundbreaking achievement, BitcoinOS (BOS) successfully verified the first zero-knowledge (ZK) proof on the Bitcoin mainnet on July 24 at 11:22 PM UTC. This development marks a significant leap for Bitcoin, transforming it from merely digital gold to a versatile platform capable of hosting decentralized applications (dApps).
By utilizing ZK-proof technology, BitcoinOS has unlocked new possibilities for scaling and enhancing the functionality of the Bitcoin network without altering its base layer. This innovation sets the stage for Bitcoin to compete with other layer-1 blockchain networks like Ethereum and Solana, potentially reshaping the landscape of decentralized finance and applications.
The technology behind this achievement is BOS’s ZK Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge (zk-SNARK) verification software library, known as BitSNARK. This library enables developers to create “near-trustless bridges,” allowing Bitcoin to move seamlessly between the mainnet and layer-2 rollups. This development opens the door to private transactions and smart contract capabilities on the Bitcoin network. Edan Yago, co-founder of BOS, highlighted that this advancement turns Bitcoin into an operating system for various decentralized services, including DAOs and DeFi, without requiring consensus changes or soft forks.
Ethereum Spot ETFs Launch with $1B Volume as Whales Accumulate 112.9k ETHBitSNARK’s capabilities extend to creating covenants—conditional payments that execute only when the correct cryptographic proof is provided. This functionality enables developers to build more secure and versatile applications on the Bitcoin mainnet. Yago emphasized that this marks the first permissionless upgrade of the Bitcoin system, allowing for significant enhancements without the need for soft forks or Bitcoin Improvement Proposals (BIPs). This innovation could reduce or eliminate the dependency on such proposals, fostering a more decentralized and efficient development environment.
The introduction of ZK-proofs also means that all rollups on BOS will settle their transactions to Bitcoin collectively, using ZK proofs verified by a shared and open operator set. This setup ensures seamless interoperability among rollups, allowing users to move assets effortlessly between different rollups as if they were using a single chain. Yago described BOS as a “superlayer” protocol that combines Bitcoin’s security and network effects with a modular layer-2 architecture. This development has the potential to integrate the vast altcoin ecosystem into the Bitcoin network, leveraging its unmatched security and user base.
