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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-STARK
A zk-STARK is a kind of zero-knowledge proof that needs no secret setup ceremony and relies on hash functions. It lets anyone check that a large computation was done correctly far faster than redoing it, at the cost of proofs larger than zk-SNARK proofs.
What it means for you. Because there is no secret setup, there is no hidden value someone could have kept to forge proofs; you still rely on the proving code and the program being proven being correct. Larger proofs cost more to verify on a base chain, which is part of what systems using them pay.
Sources: Ben-Sasson et al., Scalable, transparent, and post-quantum secure computational integrity (IACR ePrint 2018/046), ethereum.org: Zero-knowledge proofs · checked 4 October 2026