Starknet

Starknet is a permissionless Layer 2 network for Ethereum built as a validity rollup using STARK proofs. It was developed by StarkWare and aims to scale Ethereum by moving execution off the base layer while proving the correctness of that execution cryptographically.

How Starknet works

Unlike optimistic rollups, which assume transactions are valid unless challenged, a validity rollup produces a cryptographic proof that the off-chain computation was performed correctly. Ethereum verifies that proof, so there is no dispute window and withdrawals do not require a waiting period for challenges. Starknet uses STARKs, a proof system that does not require a trusted setup and whose verification cost grows slowly relative to the amount of computation proved.

Starknet contracts are written in Cairo, a language created specifically for provable computation rather than being EVM-compatible by default. That gives the network flexibility in how it executes transactions but means developers cannot simply redeploy Solidity contracts without additional tooling.

STRK has a maximum supply of 10 billion tokens, all issued as total supply, with roughly 6.81 billion in circulation. The token is used for governance, for paying transaction fees on the network, and for staking as the network progressively decentralizes its sequencing and proving roles.

Role in the ecosystem

Starknet is one of the main validity rollups on Ethereum, alongside zkSync and Polygon's zero-knowledge stack. STARK proofs are also used well beyond Starknet itself, including in other scaling systems built on StarkWare technology. The network's trajectory is closely tied to how quickly zero-knowledge proving costs fall and how much developer activity moves to the Cairo environment.