Новый подход к проверке блоков в Ethereum: как zkEVM изменит будущее сети A new approach to block verification in Ethereum: how zkEVM will change the networks future

A «quiet yet fundamental transformation» is taking place within the Ethereum network regarding block verification methods, as stated by a member of the Ethereum Foundation, known as ladislaus.

«Regardless of whether you are a scalability advocate, an individual staker, a home validator, or a proponent of self-verification — this will matter to you,» the researcher emphasized.

According to him, Ethereum is shifting from re-executing all transactions on nodes to validating operations through zkEVM proof verification.

Currently, each node in the network wishing to confirm the validity of a block must reprocess every transaction within it, causing all nodes to perform the same actions repeatedly.

The workload for validators is influenced by the gas limit — the higher the limit, the more demanding the requirements for the operator’s bandwidth become.

However, ladislaus perceives an alternative solution: instead of redundant computations, the node verifies a cryptographic proof of the action’s correctness.

«This is what zkEVM proofs provide — a pathway to significant long-term scaling of L1 execution,» the Ethereum Foundation member added.

While the concept itself isn’t new, its enhanced essence lies in the fact that this technology is now being integrated into Ethereum’s main protocol not as an aggregation feature, but as an optional step in the confirmation process at the consensus level.

Network developers are planning to create what they call a «proof pipeline.» Ladislaus described its mechanics:

This will introduce a new category of network participants known as zkAttesters. These are CL clients that verify zkEVM proofs instead of running a full EL.

«Synchronization involves uploading proofs for the latest blocks since the last finalization checkpoint,» ladislaus explained.

Currently, a validator’s operation involves simultaneously running both a CL and an EL client, with the latter being particularly resource-intensive. The states storage, block processing time, and bandwidth all increase proportionally with the gas limit.

The researcher mentioned that if re-execution is replaced by proof verification, the hardware requirements for participating in consensus could be significantly reduced.

«Perhaps the greatest benefits will be seen by those who engage in individual staking and home validators. By being zkAttesters, they will no longer need to run a full EL test and will be able to synchronize data in mere minutes. The proof verification replaces re-execution, and thus, the hardware requirements decrease,» he speculated.

The changes described are set to be implemented as part of EIP-8025, which is included in Ethereum’s roadmap for the year 2026.

In February, Vitalik Buterin discussed the forthcoming union of AI and Ethereum, stressing the importance of pursuing a positive trajectory.