Overview:
Mina Protocol | The World's First ZK Blockchain.
Mina Protocol is a layer one blockchain that aims to be the privacy and security layer for web3 through utilization of zero knowledge proofs.
Rather than apply brute computing force, Mina uses advanced cryptography and recursive zk-SNARKs to design an entire blockchain that is about 22kb, the size of a couple of tweets, making Mina the world’s lightest blockchain. Mina’s lightweight blockchain means anyone can easily connect peer-to-peer and validate transactions like a full node, ensuring strong censorship-resistance and security for the blockchain.
With its elegant design, Mina is also the first Layer-1 enabling easy programmability of zero knowledge smart contracts, zkApps.
Given Mina’s lightweight design and the off-chain nature of Mina’s zkapp smart contract computations, it’s easy to use the Mina proof system from other chains. Using bridging, this will result in the ability for dApps on other chains to take advantage of the privacy-preserving data verification, efficient proofs of large computations and secure login features of Mina’s zkApps.
For more information see https://minaprotocol.com/
Roadmap
Building upon Mina’s mainnet launch in 2021, the multi-year roadmap provides a vision for the evolution of Mina Protocol over a multi-year period.
See https://minaprotocol.com/roadmap
Motivation
By using Synapse’s low cost, fast, and secure bridging, users can easily move their assets cross-chain to Mina (and vice-versa), opening them up to Mina’s unique zero-knowledge functionality and vibrant ecosystem.
Providing Mina zkApp developers, pioneers in zero-knowledge programmability, access to the asset bridging functionality of Synapse and unlocking of powerful application use-cases.
Mina’s developer community is expanding at pace and Mina Foundation offers ongoing support via exciting and industry-leading grants programs, including the Protocol’s Q1 accelerator program zkignite, which funded 26 projects from a pool of 160 proposals.
Integration
The Synapse implementation of the Mina bridge should be bi-directional from the Mina blockchain to other blockchains and from other blockchains to the Mina Blockchain.
Mina to Blockchain
In order to make Mina assets available for use on other blockchains the bridge should support:
The transfer of Mina Tokens to another blockchain. Mina tokens are transferred from a sending account to an account, where they are locked on the Mina blockchain. Proofs of the Mina transfer and lock are generated and verified on the Mina Blockchian. Data containing the number of tokens is then transferred to another blockchain, where the corresponding number of wrapped Mina are minted and sent to the receiving account, to be available for use on that blockchain.
The transfer of wrapped Mina Tokens to the Mina Blockchian. Wrapped Mina tokens are burned on a blockchain, Data containing the number of tokens is then transferred to the Mina blockchain. A corresponding number of Mina are unlocked and transferred to the specified account. Proofs of unlocking and transfer will be generated and verified on the Mina blockchain and confirmation of these transactions returned to the originating blockchain.
Blockchain to Mina
In order to make other blockchain’s assets available for use on the Mina blockchain custom tokens will be required for each asset and the bridge should support:
The transfer of assets to the Mina blockchain. Assets are locked on blockchain then transferred to a Mina zkApp which interacts with a custom token representing that asset on the Mina blockchain as a wrapped asset. This zkApp will mint the corresponding number of tokens and transfer them to the receiving account. Proofs of mint and transfer will be generated and verified on the MIna blockchain and confirmation of these transactions returned to the originating blockchain.
The transfer of wrapped assets to another blockchain. The wrapped assets are burned on the Mina blockchain by the relevant custom token. Proof of burn is verified on the MIna blockchain and confirmation of this sent to other blockchain, with the amount and receiving address. A corresponding number of blockchain assets are unlocked/minted to be available for use on that blockchain.
For further documentation on the Mina Protocol please visit https://docs.minaprotocol.com/
