Polaris v1.0, the “Faithful Prover” Rollup Licence
{{blog_divider}}
TL;DR
- Today we’re releasing a new licence template for prover-verifier software, called Polaris — a “faithful prover” licence for rollup code
- In a continuation of Aztec’s mission to innovate, Polaris is an important experiment in how to release novel, transparent code, under a prover-verifier paradigm
- It could be used either in perpetuity or for a fixed time period, with or without a token-based governance model, whilst crypto-engineering projects are in their infancy
- Polaris leaves ecosystem developers free to do what they like with prover code — the only proviso is, proofs eventually return to a particular verifier or set of verifiers, which will often have decentralised governance and be irrevocable
{{blog_divider}}
A Collaborative Experiment
We were pleased to collaborate on this with our friends at StarkWare, well-known as the inventors of ZK-STARK cryptography. Leading expert Heather Meeker from O’Melveny drafted on behalf of StarkWare, with review from our own counsel.
{{blog_divider}}
Where’s the Licence?
The template licence for Polaris v1.0 is here, and is free to use by the community.
{{blog_divider}}
Polaris in our Licence Stack
In our vision for Polaris, the license would attach to rollup code only, sandwiched between MIT licences.As a reminder, private rollup technology comprises:
- 1) Verifier | mainnet smart contract
- 2) Rollup Prover | aggregator
- 3) Privacy Prover | private transactions
- 4) Escape Hatch Prover | withdrawal proofs
Here’s how Polaris could fit into the licence stack:
- 1) Verifier Code | MIT
- 2) Rollup Prover Code | Polaris
- 3) Privacy Prover Code | MIT
- 4) Escape Hatch Prover Code | MIT
{{blog_divider}}
What’s the Motivation?
We are exploring ways to build technology in the open air. The goal is to:
- Build open, transparent, permissionless networks
- Protect the network in the early months of its life from code-cloning, enabling us to continue highly experimental research and development
- To achieve this whilst eliminating all platform risk from L2s
{{blog_divider}}
What is Polaris, in a Nutshell?
Gone are the concepts of ‘commercial’ vs ‘non-commercial’ licensing which is no longer relevant to the new world of decentralised networks.
Instead, prover code can be used and modified freely — the only proviso is that if proofs are verified on a blockchain, they are verified by an (e.g.) Aztec / StarkWare smart contract.
In Polaris, we’ve got a licence that is:
- Succinct | one-pager, easy-to-read
- Modular | applies to the prover code only
- Faithful | to a validator (or list of validators), not a company
- Immutable | so the service can never be revoked
{{blog_divider}}
What’s Wrong with GPL?
Weak-copyleft licences like GPL are too restrictive, enforcing unwelcome strictures on third-party software.
Used correctly, Polaris is a mechanism to protect transparent prover-verifier networks, whilst they’re still consuming enormous resources on research and development.
{{blog_divider}}
Finally — why the name, ‘Polaris’?
‘Polaris’ recalls the era of navigation by the stars — the ship (prover code) sails freely, but always, ultimately, refers back to the constant of the North Star — in this case, the verifier smart contract at the heart of a rollup system.
{{blog_divider}}
Get in Touch!
If you have any questions or comments, please message us at tom [at] aztecprotocol.com, or else by joining one of our community channels below:
{{blog_divider}}
