CryptographyZero-Knowledge ProofsRustArkworks

zkSNARKs 101

From zero to zero-knowledge

A hands-on, from-first-principles introduction to zero-knowledge Succinct Non-interactive Arguments of Knowledge. You will build up the full machinery — finite fields, polynomials, elliptic curves, arithmetic circuits, R1CS, QAP, and Groth16 — with Rust and Arkworks exercises along the way.

Intermediate12 hours3 modulesAntoine Heurtier, Paul Quesnot, Alex Havlin, Antoine Lepin, Charles Dupouy

Prerequisites

Basic linear algebra
Comfort with at least one programming language

Hands-on: Rust toolchain & exercise repo

Install rustup and Cargo, clone the companion labs repository, and run your first cargo build. Do this once before Module 1 if you want to code along.

Open setup guide

Course content

Module 1 — Foundations

4 hours

Hash functions, finite fields & modular arithmetic, polynomials over finite fields, pseudo-random number generators, and elliptic curves.

Start lesson

Module 2 — From Computation to Polynomials

4 hours

Arithmetic circuits, R1CS, Schwartz–Zippel lemma, Quadratic Arithmetic Programs (QAP), knowledge-of-exponent, and encrypted arithmetic with pairings.

Start lesson

Module 3 — From SARK to zk-SNARK

4 hours

Trusted setup & SRS, zero-knowledge via randomization, the Groth16 pairing equation end-to-end in Rust, plus a bonus KZG polynomial commitment.

Start lesson

Loading…