A New Era for Bitcoin: Successful SNARK Proof Verification with BitVMX

This article was originally published in Rootstock Labs’s webpage and it’s being included on BitVMX’s site. Fairgate and Rootstock Labs are the two founding sponsors of the BitVMX project.

For the first time in history, it’s now possible to interactively verify a SNARK proof on Bitcoin mainnet using BitVMX.

The team behind BitVMX is announcing today a significant milestone in the BitVM space. For the first time, the team has demonstrated the ability to verify a SNARK proof on Bitcoin mainnet using BitVMX. And unlike different proposals that require OP_CAT, this verification method does not require any change in the Bitcoin protocol.

This achievement marks a groundbreaking development in the realm of Bitcoin and SNARK proofs.

What’s happening?

The team has interactively verified a SNARK proof on Bitcoin using BitVMX.

This means:

1. Compile Citrea’s SNARK verifier to the RISC-V architecture.
2. Set up and deposit funds on BitVMX’s challenge-response protocol.
3. Run the SNARK verifier on our virtual CPU to generate an execution trace.
4. Publish the final state of the execution trace on-chain.
5. Challenge the final state and run the challenge-response protocol, which performs an interactive n-ary search on the execution trace on-chain.
6. Execute and validate the conflicting step of the execution on-chain.

The execution transaction record is available on mainnet

What does this mean for Bitcoin?

This is an important milestone in the development of the BitVMX proving system as the team has been able to challenge and validate the execution of a SNARK verifier on-chain. This can be replicated with any program that can be compiled to the RISC-V architecture as BitVMX provides a general-purpose virtual CPU.

What happens next?

We still need to code key components of the BitVMX proving system. Mainly:

1. The input of the program is hardcoded right now, but it will be memory-mapped into the processor memory.
2. Implement the remaining challenges of the challenge-response protocol, such as the memory read challenge
3. Polish the code
4. Open source!

A New Era for Bitcoin: Successful SNARK Proof Verification with BitVMX This article was originally published in Rootstock Labs’s webpage and it’s being rewritten on BitVMX’s site. Fairgate and Rootstock Labs are the two founding sponsors of the BitVMX project.

A Historic Milestone for Bitcoin

For the first time ever, the verification of a SNARK proof has been successfully performed on Bitcoin mainnet using BitVMX. This groundbreaking accomplishment demonstrates that Bitcoin can support interactive SNARK proof verification without requiring any changes to its protocol—unlike other proposals that rely on OP_CAT or similar modifications.

This achievement not only advances the development of the BitVMX proving system but also opens the door to new possibilities for Bitcoin’s integration with cutting-edge cryptographic techniques.

The Process: How It Works

Using BitVMX, the team has interactively verified a SNARK proof on Bitcoin, a process that involves several critical steps:

1. Compile the SNARK Verifier
   Citrea’s SNARK verifier is compiled to the RISC-V architecture.
2. Set Up and Fund the Protocol
   The challenge-response protocol is initialized and funds are deposited on BitVMX.
3. Generate Execution Trace
   The SNARK verifier is executed on a virtual CPU to produce an execution trace.
4. Publish the Execution Trace
   The final state of the execution trace is published on-chain.
5. Challenge the Final State
   The challenge-response protocol performs an interactive n-ary search on the execution trace on-chain.
6. Validate the Conflict
   The conflicting step of the execution is validated on-chain, with the transaction record now available on Bitcoin mainnet.

This intricate process showcases the power and versatility of BitVMX in enabling decentralized and verifiable computation directly on Bitcoin.

What Does This Mean for Bitcoin?

This breakthrough represents a pivotal step forward for the BitVMX proving system, as it demonstrates the ability to challenge and validate the execution of complex computations—like a SNARK verifier—on-chain. Since BitVMX provides a general-purpose virtual CPU, any program compatible with the RISC-V architecture can benefit from this system.

By integrating SNARK proofs into Bitcoin’s ecosystem without altering its core protocol, this achievement sets the stage for innovative applications such as decentralized oracles, trustless bridges, and advanced smart contracts

What’s Next for BitVMX?

While this milestone is a significant accomplishment, there are still critical components of the BitVMX proving system that need development:

• Dynamic Input Handling: Currently, the input for the program is hardcoded. The next step is to map inputs dynamically into processor memory.
• Challenge-Response Enhancements: Implementing additional features, such as the memory read challenge, to refine the protocol.
• Code Refinement: Polishing and optimizing the existing codebase for improved performance.
• Open-Sourcing the System: Making the BitVMX proving system publicly available to empower developers worldwide.

By addressing these tasks, the team aims to further enhance BitVMX’s capabilities, solidifying its position as a revolutionary tool for the Bitcoin network.