What is Zilliqa (ZIL)?
- Author
- CRYPTO PORT Editorial
- Published
- Updated
- Reading time
- 5 min
In short
Zilliqa is a blockchain that launched its mainnet in 2019 with sharding as its approach to throughput. It is known as one of the earlier networks to put sharding into production, splitting the network into groups that process transactions in parallel. It also uses its own smart contract language, Scilla.
Key points
- One of the earlier production implementations of sharding for parallel processing
- Uses PoW for node identity establishment combined with a pBFT-style consensus for blocks
- Uses Scilla, a purpose-designed language intended to make contracts easier to verify
- Later added an EVM-compatible environment to accept developers migrating in
Definition
A smart contract blockchain that uses sharding to split the network and process transactions in parallel.
One way to raise throughput is to stop having every node repeat the same work and instead split the network into groups that process different transactions at once. That is sharding. Zilliqa published its design around this in 2017 and launched mainnet in 2019.
Consensus works in two stages. To join, a node performs a Proof of Work computation that establishes its identity and guards against Sybil attacks. Block finalisation within each shard then uses a pBFT-style voting process. Because there is no continuous mining race, energy use is nothing like Bitcoin's.
For smart contracts it introduced Scilla, a language of its own. Its functional design separates state changes from computation with the aim of making formal verification practical. That safety focus came at the cost of a learning curve for developers used to Solidity.
An EVM-compatible environment was added later so Ethereum tooling could be used, broadening developer access. The project has been rolling out a substantial network overhaul in stages, so the specification differs depending on the period described.
Watch out for
- · With sharding, cross-shard transactions are more involved than transactions within a shard
- · Scilla is bespoke, so tooling and audit coverage are narrower than in the EVM ecosystem
- · A major overhaul has been rolling out in stages, so explanations from different periods conflict