Integrating ZK Light Clients into Router

Published in

Electron Labs

3 min readJul 26, 2023

A collaborative effort to enhance the security of cross-chain transactions through zk light client-based security module

Introduction

We at Electron have recently entered into a strategic partnership with Router Protocol, a cross-chain interoperability solution. As part of this collaboration, Router will integrate Electron ZK light clients as an Additional Security Module (ASM) to help secure transactions on the Router Protocol.

Electron uses zkSNARKs to generate valid proof of the state of a chain. These validity proofs are stored & verified by light client contracts on the destination chain. With the addition of Electron’s ZK Light Client technology based ASM on the Router — the transactions will get verified by Electron ASM and the Router chain as well; the transactions will only go through when there is a consensus between Router’s security and Electron’s security. This added security layer is valuable for high-value transactions like governance-based deployments.

Router Protocol envisions onboarding the next billion users into the blockchain ecosystem, by removing the inter-chain barriers that stop ecosystem communities from collaborating and growing together. The Router chain, operating as a PoS network and utilising Tendermint, boasts a solid security framework as its foundation. Router boasts a highly modular and composable framework, wherein various modules can be used in a plug-and-play fashion. Utilising this modular framework, we will contribute to the development of the new ASM on Router leveraging the security of Electron ZK light clients.

ZK Light Clients — a modular security layer for cross-chain solutions to borrow the full economic security of the underlying blockchains

With the advent of a multi-chain world, cross-chain transactions will have more than 60% market share in all transactions across the crypto network. To make this a reality, it is imperative to ensure the highest possible security model. ZK Light clients enable cross-chain transactions to borrow the full economic security of the underlying blockchains. Our solution is a modular security layer for bridges, wherein even existing cross-chain solutions can seamlessly integrate our tech into their protocol.

Understanding the Partnership’s Inner Workings

Facilitating Development and Integration: As part of this collaboration, Router will be providing the necessary technical support and information to Electron with the aim of facilitating the development and seamless integration of the ZK light client technology based ASM module.
Co-marketing efforts: Alongside the integration of ZK light clients based ASM, Electron Labs and Router team will actively engage in marketing efforts aiming to gain developer interest in using ZK light clients for the cross chain applications across the industry.
A Way for the Future: Our long-term vision involves exploring making the Electron ASM module the default ZK-security module within the Router Network.

Router Protocol will also provide a dedicated testing environment for Electron to conduct rigorous testing. Electron ASM will become a part of Router developer programs, including events like hackathons.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the partnership between Electron Labs and Router Protocol enables Router to leverage our expertise to enhance the security of transactions within the Router ecosystem. By leveraging Router’s technical support, their testing environment, and inclusion in developer programs, we are working to ensure the seamless integration and adoption of the Additional Security Module (ASM) developed by Electron Labs.

About Electron Labs

Electron Labs is an interoperability protocol that uses zero-knowledge and light clients to verify transactions across blockchains in a trustless and secure manner. We are live on Ethereum and Near mainnet where users can send assets through our zkBridge.

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About Router Protocol

Stay engaged with Router Protocol by following their official social media channels. Together, we’re working towards securing cross-chain transactions.