Manta Network’s L2 hits mainnet to drive ZK-enabled DApp development

The ecosystem of layer-2 blockchain solutions powered by zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs welcomes a new player as Manta Network takes its ZK-as-a-service platform live.

Manta Pacific is a modular L2 aimed at powering Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-native decentralized applications (DApps) using ZK-proof technology. The platform offers a software development kit and ZK library that are touted to provide plug-and-play functionality for developers.

Being EVM-native means that apps deployed on Ethereum can be deployed on Manta Pacific and vice versa, while being ZK-enabled provides low gas fees and scalability. Users can also bridge Ethereum to Manta to begin exploring its development environment.

Related: Manta Network developer raises $25M in Series A, launches layer 2 for ZK apps

With industry peers, including the likes of Consensys’ Linea zkEVM, Polygon zkEVM, Starknet, Coinbase’s Base and zkSync Era, there are a number of ZK-proof L2 solution options available to Web3 developers.

Speaking to Cointelegraph following the mainnet launch, Manta Network core contributor Kenny Li said that the different ZK-rollup L2s offer different value propositions that aim to solve significant problems faced by developers.

“We think that, in the mid- to long term, the market will converge to a small number of available solutions that are focused on making it as easy as possible for developers to build and deploy ZK-enabled applications.”

Li added that the Web2 world of technology followed a similar evolution with the success of software-as-a-service models where a plug-and-play approach was taken:

“This is crucial when zero-knowledge is involved, whereby developers do not have to worry about the infrastructure, as the complexity of cryptography can be abstracted away.”

According to the Manta Network core contributor, Manta Pacific has been in development for nine months, while its testnet launch in July 2023 has seen the creation of 150,000 wallets and over 3.5 million transactions.

Manta raised $25 million from investors in July 2023, aimed at scaling the project’s network and use cases with an eye on driving adoption in the Asian market.

Magazine: Here’s how Ethereum’s ZK-rollups can become interoperable