Witness Generation

Definition ∞ Witness generation refers to the computational process of producing a cryptographic proof, often called a witness, that confirms the correctness of a computation or the validity of a statement. This proof allows a verifier to confirm the statement without re-executing the entire computation. It is a key component of zero-knowledge proofs.
Context ∞ Witness generation is fundamental to scalability solutions like rollups and privacy protocols in blockchain. Efficient witness generation is crucial for reducing the computational burden on validators and enabling high transaction throughput. Optimizing this process is a primary goal in zero-knowledge proof research, directly impacting the performance and utility of advanced decentralized applications.