Nova: A New Type of zk-SNARKs System

Nova is an innovative zk-SNARKs system developed by Microsoft. It adopts the Relaxed R1CS ( technology, significantly improving the efficiency and flexibility of the proofs.

Main Advantages of Nova

The core advantage of Nova lies in its use of relaxed R1CS technology. Traditional R1CS systems require a large amount of randomness during the proof generation process, resulting in a complex and time-consuming proof generation and verification process. Nova, by using relaxed R1CS, allows for the use of less randomness, significantly improving proof efficiency.

In addition, Nova also supports incremental computation, allowing for the gradual calculation of complex functions without having to complete the entire computation at once. This is very useful when dealing with large-scale data or complex calculations. Nova also supports polynomial computation, capable of handling more complex proof tasks.

Potential Limitations of Nova

Nova's use of relaxed R1CS may reduce the security of the proof, as it allows for less randomness. However, the Nova developers have taken some measures to address this issue, such as employing stronger cryptographic algorithms and more complex proof strategies.

Additionally, the implementation of Nova is relatively complex, which may increase the difficulty of use and maintenance. It employs various advanced cryptographic techniques such as polynomial computation, group operations, and random oracles, requiring a deep understanding of these techniques to effectively use and modify Nova.

The Position of Nova in the Field of zk-SNARKs

Nova has opened up new development directions for zk-SNARKs. The relaxed R1CS technology it employs greatly improves the efficiency of proof generation and verification, which is crucial for large-scale zk-SNARKs applications. Nova supports incremental computation and polynomial computation, capable of handling more complex proof tasks, further expanding the range of applications for zk-SNARKs.

Nova Source Code Analysis

The source code of Nova mainly includes the following important modules:

• bellperson: Implemented R1CS) rank 1 constraint system ( related functions.
• gadgets: Includes tools for constructing zk-SNARK proofs
• provider: Provides some basic functional implementations, such as the Keccak hash function.
• spartan: Implemented functionalities related to the Spartan protocol
• traits: Defined some common traits, such as group operations, commitments, etc.

The core file r1cs.rs defines the basic types and operations of R1CS, including R1CSShape, R1CSWitness, R1CSInstance, etc. circuit.rs implements the enhanced circuit of the Nova protocol, including step circuits and verifier circuits.

nifs.rs implements a non-interactive folding scheme for proving the correctness of each step of incremental computation. The files in the spartan directory implement the Spartan protocol, including polynomial computation, Sumcheck algorithm, etc.

Overall, the source code of Nova implements an efficient zk-SNARKs system, significantly improving proof efficiency while ensuring security through innovative technologies such as relaxed R1CS and incremental computation.