ZKsync is preparing to shut down ZKsync Lite after 5 years of operation

ZKsync has announced that it will discontinue ZKsync Lite—the first zero-knowledge rollup launched on Ethereum in 2020—at some point next year.

“This is a planned and orderly shutdown process for a system that has completed its mission and does not affect any other ZKsync systems,” the project stated on X. The development team will announce a detailed schedule and migration instructions in the coming year.

Launched in June 2020 as ZKsync 1.0, ZKsync Lite was designed as a Layer 2 solution focused on payments, supporting token transfers, atomic swaps, and NFT minting but lacking the ability to run smart contracts, making its utility lower compared to later-generation rollup designs.

Nevertheless, the protocol played an important role in testing zero-knowledge technology on Ethereum. “ZKsync Lite was a groundbreaking proof-of-concept, demonstrating the core principles for building ZK systems at real-world scale,” the team said. “It has fulfilled its mission: proving what is possible and paving the way for the next generation.”

According to data from L2BEAT, there are currently about $50 million in user assets bridged to ZKsync Lite, even though the network processes fewer than 200 transactions per day. ZKsync affirms that “assets remain safe and withdrawals to L1 will continue to function throughout the process.”

Matter Labs—the company behind ZKsync—ceased development on ZKsync Lite in March 2023 after launching ZKsync Era, a fully featured zkEVM capable of running arbitrary smart contracts. At that time, Era was called “the holy grail in Ethereum scaling” thanks to its ability to allow developers to bring existing applications to Layer 2 without sacrificing security.

ZKsync emphasizes that shutting down Lite does not affect other products. “The next steps belong to systems built on ZK Stack, Prividiums, and the broader ZKsync network,” the team said, referring to the modular blockchain toolkit and private chains for enterprises.

The announcement comes as ZKsync is going through a difficult period: the network just ended its Ignite liquidity rewards program due to weakened market conditions, and Aave DAO is considering ceasing deployment on ZKsync Era because of low revenue.

Vuong Tien