ConsenSys Launches zkEVM Public Testnet, Renames It ‘Linea’

The release comes in the days after competitors, Polygon and Matter Labs, came out with their own zkEVMs.

AccessTimeIconMar 28, 2023 at 2:10 p.m. UTC
Updated Apr 3, 2023 at 3:45 p.m. UTC
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Ethereum software firm ConsenSys has released a public testnet of its zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM), and has given it the name “Linea.”

ConsenSys launched a private testnet for its zkEVM in December. Since then it has processed over 350,000 transactions. In a blog post, the team behind Linea said that “Linea represents the next evolution of ConsenSys zkEVM, powering a new generation of dapps built on Ethereum.”

ConsenSys also tweeted that Linea would natively integrate its widely used MetaMask wallet and Truffle, its developer toolkit.

Zero-knowledge (ZK) technology is seen by many as the ultimate expansion system for blockchains by increasing the speed of transactions and reducing their fees.

A zkEVM is a type of ZK rollup that is compatible with Ethereum Virtual Machine, the software that deploys smart contracts. Having a ZK rollup that is compatible with the EVM means developers won’t need to reconfigure their applications on Ethereum and can move them over without any hiccups.

In recent days there has been a lot of activity in the zero-knowledge space in the Ethereum ecosystem. Matter Labs and Polygon both came out with their own zkEVMs, closing out the race for bringing Ethereum-compatible ZK rollups to users.

Edited by Bradley Keoun.

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Margaux Nijkerk

Margaux Nijkerk reports on the Ethereum protocol and L2s. A graduate of Johns Hopkins and Emory universities, she has a masters in International Affairs & Economics. She holds a small amount of ETH and other altcoins.


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