Ethereum's First ZK-Rollup, ZKsync Lite, Set to Retire in 2026

ZKsync Lite, the inaugural zero-knowledge (ZK) rollup launched on Ethereum, is scheduled to be retired in 2026, according to its development team. The decision comes as the network has reached the end of its intended functionality. ZKsync Lite served as a significant proof-of-concept, leading to the development of more advanced systems.

Key Takeaways

ZKsync Lite will be deprecated in 2026 as it has fulfilled its original purpose.
Launched by Matter Labs in 2020, ZKsync Lite was designed for quick transactions and NFT minting but lacked smart contract support.
The network's retirement will not impact the safety of user funds or other ZKsync products.
Development on ZKsync Lite ceased in 2023, focusing instead on ZKsync Era, which supports smart contracts.

Ethereum’s first ZK-rollup, ZKsync Lite, to be retired in 2026

Main Content

ZKsync Lite, the first zero-knowledge (ZK) rollup network on Ethereum, is planned to be retired in 2026, as announced by its development team. They stated, "In 2026, we plan to deprecate ZKsync Lite (also known as ZKsync 1.0), the original ZK-rollup we launched on Ethereum. This is a planned, orderly sunset for a system that has served its purpose and does not affect any other ZKsync systems.”

The company emphasized that ZKsync Lite was a pioneering proof-of-concept that validated essential ideas crucial for building production-ready ZK systems.

Initially launched in 2020 by Matter Labs, ZKsync Lite was designed to facilitate fast transfers and mint non-fungible tokens (NFTs). However, its lack of support for smart contracts limited its usage.

ZKsync Lite
Source: ZKsync

ZKsync Lite was the first network to implement validity proofs, enabling an immediate verification of transaction validity before bundling them for final confirmation on the Ethereum mainnet.

Development for ZKsync Lite was halted in early 2023 as the team introduced the zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM), which supports smart contracts under the new ZKsync Era.

ZKsync clarified that ZKsync Lite users do not need to take any immediate action, noting that the network is functioning as expected. "Funds remain safe, and withdrawals to Layer 1 (L1) will continue to operate throughout the transition," they reassured.

Other ZKsync products will also remain unaffected, and the team plans to release "concrete details, dates, and migration guidance soon" regarding ZKsync Lite.

Related: Privacy tools are gaining traction with institutional adoption, according to ZKsync developers.

Currently, there are just under $50 million bridged to the network, according to data from DefiLlama. However, L2BEAT shows that ZKsync Lite has seen slightly over 330 user operations in the past day. In contrast, ZKsync Era, which is its newer version, has a total value locked in decentralized finance of $36.4 million and has experienced over 22,000 user operations in the same timeframe.

Looking ahead, the ZKsync blockchain may undergo further modifications. Recently, co-creator Alex Gluchowski suggested a revamp of its governance token to emphasize "economic utility," with plans to link the token to network fees.

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