Hey hey frens,

Today, we’re diving into the cryptographic marvel known as Merkle Trees. These structures play a critical role in securely storing and verifying large datasets in blockchain technology.

Let’s explore what Merkle Trees are and how they’re utilized in $PROM ’s zk-Rollup architecture 🧵👇

What are Merkle Trees?

Merkle Trees are a cryptographic structure designed to efficiently and securely verify large datasets. They consist of leaf nodes, each representing a hash of a data block, and non-leaf nodes, which are hashes of their respective child nodes. This binary tree structure culminates in a single Merkle root, which represents the entire dataset. This root is crucial for ensuring data integrity across the network.

How Merkle Trees Work

In a Merkle Tree, each piece of data is hashed and stored in a leaf node. These leaf nodes are then paired, hashed together, and the resulting hashes are stored in the parent nodes. This process continues until a single root hash is formed. This Merkle root can then be used to verify the integrity of the entire dataset, ensuring that no data has been tampered with.

Prom’s Implementation in zk-Rollups

In Prom’s zk-Rollup architecture, Merkle Trees play a vital role in transaction verification. Transactions are batched and hashed into the leaf nodes of a Merkle Tree. These nodes are then iteratively hashed to produce a single Merkle root. This root is included in zk-proofs, which are then submitted to Layer 1 for validation. This method allows for the efficient verification of entire batches of transactions without revealing any underlying data.

Why Merkle Trees Matter in zk-Rollups

The use of Merkle Trees in zk-Rollups is essential for maintaining data integrity, detecting tampering, and providing efficient proofs. By utilizing Merkle roots, Prom ensures that even as the number of transactions scales, the system remains secure and efficient. This is crucial for the scalability and functionality of Layer 2 solutions, making Prom’s ecosystem robust and reliable.