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Zero-knowledge proof
A zero-knowledge proof is a way for one party to prove a statement is true to another without revealing anything beyond the fact that it is true. For example, someone could prove they are over a certain age without showing their date of birth.
What it means for you. Zero-knowledge proofs are what let ZK-rollups prove a batch of transactions is correct, and what some privacy coins use to hide transaction details. Some proof systems depend on a one-time setup ceremony; if it was mishandled, false proofs could be possible, so a project's published account of its setup is worth reading.
Sources: ethereum.org: Zero-knowledge proofs, ethereum.org: Zero-knowledge rollups · checked 4 October 2026
zk-SNARK
A zk-SNARK is a kind of zero-knowledge proof that is very small and quick to check: it convinces anyone that a computation was done correctly without revealing the private inputs or redoing the work. Many designs need a one-time setup ceremony whose secret values must be destroyed afterwards.
What it means for you. Systems built on zk-SNARKs, such as some rollups and privacy tools, ask you to rely on their setup ceremony having had at least one honest participant and on the proving code being correct; a flaw in either could allow false proofs. Whether a system needs a setup, and who took part, is a concrete question you can check.
Sources: ethereum.org: Zero-knowledge proofs, Groth, On the Size of Pairing-based Non-interactive Arguments (IACR ePrint 2016/260) · checked 4 October 2026