zkSync is a ZK rollup on Ethereum, built by Matter Labs. Instead of waiting for a challenge period, it proves every batch of transactions with a validity proof that Ethereum verifies. Its other distinguishing feature is native account abstraction: every account can be a smart account, and paymasters are part of the protocol rather than an add-on.
What Is Different From Other EVM Chains
zkSync is EVM-compatible at the language level, but not identical underneath. That matters when porting:
- Contracts are compiled with zkSync's own compilers for Solidity and Vyper, and some EVM behaviour differs, for example how contract addresses are derived and how contracts are deployed.
- Gas costs and limits follow zkSync's own model, including the cost of publishing data to Ethereum.
- Tooling such as Hardhat and Foundry works through zkSync plugins and forks; scripts often need small changes.
We test every contract on zkSync itself before deployment, instead of assuming that Ethereum behaviour carries over.
Native Account Abstraction in Practice
Because accounts and paymasters are built in, gasless onboarding, paying fees in tokens and smart account features are simpler on zkSync than on chains where they are added through ERC-4337. See zkSync paymasters and gasless transactions.
What We Build
- dApps and contracts on zkSync, or ported from other chains.
- Paymaster flows for sponsored or token-paid gas.
- Smart account features: passkeys, session keys and batching.
- Bridging and withdrawal flows between Ethereum and zkSync, see cross-chain bridges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we deploy our existing Solidity contracts on zkSync?
Usually yes, after recompiling with zkSync's compiler and testing for the known differences. Some patterns, such as certain uses of CREATE2 or assembly, need changes.
Are withdrawals faster than on optimistic rollups?
Generally yes, because validity proofs remove the week-long challenge period, although proving and safety delays still apply.
What is the ZK Stack?
The framework to launch chains based on zkSync's technology, connected to each other through shared infrastructure.
Who owns the code?
Ownership of the source code is set out in the contract, and the code can be fully yours, including documentation and tests.
Part of our layer 2 development. Compare Arbitrum and Optimism.
Build on zkSync
Tell us what you want to run on zkSync and which features matter. We will build it with the differences handled from day one.