Introduction
Miden is a zero-knowledge (ZK) rollup developed under the Polygon ecosystem, designed to enable high-throughput, privacy-preserving blockchain applications. It introduces a novel execution paradigm centered on edge execution, where clients locally execute and prove transactions. This approach reduces network bottlenecks, promotes user self-custody, and enhances scalability and privacy. With its commitment-based data model and Actor-based architecture, Miden represents a shift away from traditional centralized execution models towards decentralized, user-centric computing.
Innovation
Miden departs from conventional blockchain architectures in several fundamental ways:
Edge Execution Model: Users generate ZK proofs of transaction validity locally and submit only those proofs on-chain. This allows for significant scalability and natural privacy without burdening the network with re-execution or raw state.
Self-Custodied State: Each user manages their own state locally. Only state commitments are submitted to the blockchain, which dramatically reduces state bloat and opens the door to privacy-preserving applications.
Actor Model Integration: Miden’s execution framework leverages the Actor Model to facilitate scalable, asynchronous interactions between stateful accounts. This model is rarely seen in blockchain execution layers and introduces proven concurrent systems design into decentralized computation.
Notes as On-Chain Intents: With messages structured as UTXO-like “notes,” Miden enables programmable interaction models such as recallable payments, native atomic swaps, and trust-minimized cross-account communication.
Architecture
Miden's architecture emphasizes decentralization of computation, horizontal scalability, and privacy:
Miden VM: A zero-knowledge optimized virtual machine designed to execute proofs of computation efficiently. It supports private program execution and is designed to work with languages that compile to WebAssembly (WASM), including Rust.
Account Model: Accounts are actors containing code, storage, and native assets. Miden supports both public accounts (entirely on-chain) and private accounts (stored off-chain with on-chain commitments). This hybrid model is well-suited for building both transparent and confidential applications.
Messaging Layer – Notes: Notes act as verifiable asynchronous messages between accounts. Implemented as UTXOs, they carry both logic and value, and are executed by “spend scripts,” enabling advanced interaction models like condition-based transfers.
Transaction Semantics: Each transaction is a local state transition affecting a single account. It may consume or produce multiple notes, but this single-account focus allows for massive concurrency in transaction execution, improving scalability.
Network Accounts: Shared, public smart contract accounts managed by the network, which allow synchronization points for user-submitted notes. This provides a bridge between private and shared state models.
Code Quality
While a full open-source audit is pending for mainnet launch, Miden exhibits strong engineering principles:
Rust-first Development: Leveraging a safe, memory-efficient, and widely-used systems language improves both reliability and accessibility for developers.
No Bespoke Language: Avoiding the creation of a proprietary smart contract language and instead compiling to WASM lowers the barrier to entry and enhances maintainability.
Minimalist On-Chain Surface Area: Only ZK proofs and state commitments are posted on-chain, reducing the smart contract complexity and exposure to common vulnerabilities.
Native Asset Storage: Assets are stored locally within accounts, not across multiple contracts, minimizing exposure to reentrancy attacks and composability issues.
Product Roadmap
Miden is progressing toward mainnet with the following technical priorities:
Mainnet Launch (in progress): Core functionality, proof verification, and Miden VM stability are being finalized for full deployment.
EVM Compatibility: While Miden is not directly EVM-compatible, future tooling may provide bridges or abstraction layers for interoperability with existing Ethereum-based applications.
Actor SDKs: Development tools and SDKs for smart contract deployment, actor creation, and message composition are under active development.
Integration with AggLayer: As part of Polygon’s broader strategy, Miden will integrate with AggLayer, contributing to unified liquidity and interoperability within the ecosystem.
Application Ecosystem: Targeted early use cases include confidential payments, DeFi protocols with private positions, digital identity systems, and gaming assets with programmable logic.
Usability
Miden balances developer usability with sophisticated technical features:
Rust and WASM Compilation: Developers can use a mature language and target a well-understood compilation pipeline (WASM), simplifying onboarding.
Client-Side Tooling: With execution occurring locally, new toolchains are needed for proof generation, actor management, and note composition. While promising, this represents a learning curve and new paradigm for developers.
Account Abstraction: Built-in from the start, reducing the complexity around wallet UX, transaction batching, and fee abstraction.
Data Minimization: Developers and users benefit from privacy guarantees out of the box, but they must also manage off-chain state, which introduces complexity around synchronization and availability.
Team
Miden is developed by Polygon Labs, a recognized engineering organization with deep expertise in zero-knowledge cryptography and blockchain infrastructure:
Leadership: Led by teams with experience across ZK-STARKs, Rust systems programming, and virtual machine design.
Ecosystem Context: Miden fits into Polygon's broader strategy to deliver high-performance, modular rollup infrastructure integrated with Ethereum security.
Research-Driven: Miden is one of the few production-grade chains actively exploring the Actor Model + ZK paradigm, indicating a high level of technical innovation.
Conclusion
Miden represents a notable shift in blockchain execution design by moving computation and state to the edge of the network. Its combination of zero-knowledge proofs, asynchronous message passing, self-custodied accounts, and a ZK-optimized VM offers compelling scalability and privacy properties.
Miden is well-positioned to serve as a foundational layer for privacy-preserving and high-throughput blockchain applications. While it introduces complexity via its unique architecture, the technical rigor and scalability potential make it one of the more ambitious rollup projects in development today.
Miden Code Review