Aztec Labs November Tech Brief

Welcome to the Aztec Labs Developer Dispatch.

In this issue:

• Aztec: our privacy-first L2 on Ethereum

  • A new Note Discovery RFP on the Aztec Forum

  • Aztec Labs at DevConnect and ETHIstanbul 🇹🇷

  • Featured project from the Sandbox feedback partners program

• Noir: the universal language of zero knowledge

  • A Nintendo emulator built with Noir 🎮

  • A new Noir learning journey with Node Guardians

The Latest Technical News on Aztec and Noir.

November was a productive month here at Aztec Labs, as we continued to refine the Aztec Sandbox - a local developer test environment for our privacy-first L2 on Ethereum. The Sandbox now boasts a slow updates tree, which allows for historical public data to be accessed in both private and public domains. Learn more in developer docs.

There’s also been a significant reduction in the size of the docker image needed to install the Sandbox. Install in just a few minutes.

On the other hand, Noir continues to be the language of choice for ZK developers. ETHIstanbul finalist projects Vitalik’s Secret and Web Tree were built with Aztec Labs’ universal language of zero knowledge.

Aztec Request for Proposals: Note Discovery Protocol

Aztec Labs welcomes the community’s ideas when making key decisions regarding the Aztec network. Next up on our roadmap is addressing a major challenge for privacy blockchains: Note discovery.

Private data within Aztec is stored within encrypted UTXOs, or ‘Notes’. These notes are then defined by their hash within the ‘Note Hashes Tree’ (pictured below). For a user to consume a note that belongs to them, a mechanism must be in place to allow the note to be discovered.

We’re seeking proposals for note discovery protocols that balance privacy and performance by doing each of the following simultaneously:

• Minimizing network usage

• Reducing computational load

• Maintaining high privacy standards

Read the full request for proposals and submit yours here.

Aztec Labs at DevConnect and ETHIstanbul

After hosting our company-wide offsite in Istanbul, the Aztec Labs team was talking on stage, running workshops, hacking alongside devs, and more at the DevConnect conference and ETHIstanbul hackathon. See select recordings of the team’s talks throughout the week:

• Account abstraction for a private network - featuring Software Engineer Santiago Palladino. Watch here.

• Aztec’s Private Rollup - featuring Software Engineer Iudamad. Watch here.

• ZK & Blockchains panel - featuring CEO Zac Williamson. Watch here.

Built in the Aztec Sandbox: Private Optimistic Oracle

DeFi Wonderland (Wonderland) is a developer group collaborating with Aztec Labs to test the boundaries of what’s possible to build within the Sandbox.

As a proof-of-concept, Wonderland has built a private optimistic oracle: a permissionless system that maintains privacy for both the requester and provider of a response.

Built with Noir: Dappicom Nintendo Emulator

On-chain gaming has been hamstrung by games that are “too” on-chain native. So the Tonk team is bringing your favorite retro NES games (think Mario Bros, Ganondorf, etc.) to the blockchain instead.

By leaning into familiarity, the goal is to widen the appeal of blockchain games, while also empowering users to prove in-game outcomes (e.g., prove that you beat the Mario speedrun world record without revealing how).

Help shape the future of on-chain gaming, contribute to the project.

Learn more about Tonk’s experience building with Noir. Watch their developer journey:

Noir x Node Guardians

Node Guardians helps devs master smart contract development, and the platform’s Noir learning journey has arrived: Discovering Noir.

Embark on this adventure to learn programming in zero-knowledge. Earn your souldbound sword by conquering all three quests.

We appreciate your feedback 💜.