General Purpose SNARKs

Definition ∞ General Purpose SNARKs, or Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Arguments of Knowledge, are cryptographic proofs that allow one party to verify the truth of a statement to another without revealing any information beyond the truth itself. These systems are “general purpose” because they can prove the correctness of any computation, not just specific ones. They offer a powerful tool for privacy and scalability in decentralized systems. Their succinctness means the proofs are small and quick to verify.
Context ∞ Crypto news frequently discusses General Purpose SNARKs in relation to advancements in blockchain scalability solutions, privacy protocols, and confidential transactions. Reports often cover new research or implementations that improve their efficiency or expand their application range. The ongoing development of more accessible and efficient SNARK constructions is a significant area of focus for the broader Web3 ecosystem.