Feb 13
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Aztec is a Layer-2 blockchain for Ethereum, but it isn’t “just another rollup”. It started not as a marketing play, but as a pure engineering and cryptography project focused on privacy and zero-knowledge proofs. That makes Aztec fundamentally different from most other Ethereum scaling solutions. 1. What Is Aztec? At its core, Aztec is a privacy-focused Layer 2 protocol that uses zero-knowledge cryptography to enable confidential transactions on Ethereum. Unlike typical L2s that mainly aim for low fees and high speed, Aztec’s main purpose is privacy protection — it hides transaction amounts and sender/receiver details by default. This is a rare case where the technology came first, not a hype roadmap. The project was built around cryptography engineers trying to solve real privacy limitations on public blockchains. 2. How Aztec Differs from Other L2s Most Ethereum layer2 solutions — like optimistic rollups and regular zk rollups — focus on scaling: batching transactions, reducing gas fees, and improving throughput. They still publish most transaction data on Ethereum to ensure security. Aztec’s design is different: * It uses zero-knowledge proofs not just for validity, but to hide transaction details. * Privacy is built into the protocol, not tacked on later. * It supports shielded assets where balances and transfers are encrypted. Other rollups might offer optional privacy tools, but Aztec’s whole system revolves around confidential DeFi, shielded payments, and private token transfers. 3. Why This Matters Public chains are transparent by default — anyone can see balances and transaction history. For many users and institutions, this is a privacy problem. Aztec attempts to solve on-chain confidentiality without breaking Ethereum’s security model through advanced zk proof systems. In short: Aztec is not “just another L2.” It’s a privacy-centric Ethereum scaling layer built from the ground up on cryptography discipline and zero-knowledge design. It belongs in a different category than general scalability rollups — it’s about secure, private Web3 finance.