Privacy-focused blockchain network closes Aztec Connect tool

Privacy-oriented blockchain level Aztec is preparing to unopen down Aztec Connect, the network’s privateness infrastructure serving arsenic the encryption furniture for Ethereum.

Aztec Network officially announced the upcoming closure of Aztec Connect, readying to disable Aztec Connect deposits from front-ends similar zk.money and zkpay.finance connected March 17.

According to a blog station by Aztec, users volition beryllium capable to retreat their funds from Aztec Connect with nary fees for 1 year. “While withdrawals volition ever beryllium possible, they volition go importantly much burdensome aft March 21, 2024,” Aztec said, recommending users to retreat funds arsenic soon arsenic possible. Since launched successful July 2022, Aztec Connect has amassed much than 100,000 users, the announcement notes.

Starting from March 2024, Aztec volition nary longer tally a sequencer, meaning that the existent strategy volition nary longer people rollup blocks processing Aztec Connect transactions. “Contract permissions volition beryllium renounced, and each rollup functionality volition beryllium ceased,” the announcement reads.

As Aztec has afloat unfastened sourced the full Aztec Connect protocol, the steadfast encourages the Aztec assemblage to fork, deploy, and run a caller mentation of the system. “We’d emotion to spot an independently-operated Aztec Connect and are acceptable to money it,” Aztec said.

According to the announcement, the shutdown of Aztec Connect marks a milestone successful the improvement of a decentralized general-use encrypted blockchain. Before launching Aztec Connect successful July 2022, Aztec archetypal experimented with utilizing a zkRollup with Aztec 1, which was “slow, inefficient, costly” and constricted successful functionality to “basic backstage transfers.”

Source: Aztec

Aztec emphasized that the probe made with Aztec Connect volition beryllium usable and captious to the improvement of a next-generation blockchain, providing a ground for a afloat programmable mentation of encrypted rollups, adding:

“It’s undeniable that Aztec Connect was an important stepping chromatic towards realizing our eventual goal. It’s present clip for america to absorption afloat connected that goal: a decentralized general-use encrypted blockchain.”

After closing Aztec Connect, Aztec plans to absorption connected the improvement of the cosmopolitan zero-knowledge connection known arsenic Noir and the next-generation encrypted blockchain.

Related: Crypto projects respond to privateness coin prohibition successful Dubai

The quality comes amid ConsenSys preparing to release its zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) rollup connected a nationalist testnet connected March 28. The motorboat volition travel much than 4 years of research, perchance enabling faster transactions, higher throughput and amended information of settlements connected the Ethereum blockchain.