Introduction
Taiko is a new blockchain project that aims to provide a type-1 ZK-EVM blockchain, prioritizing perfect EVM/Ethereum equivalence over ZK-proof generation speed. Taiko’s design is built upon three core components, the ZK-EVM circuits, the L2 rollup node, and the protocol on L1. The ZK-EVM provides proof of correctness for EVM computations, the L2 rollup node manages the rollup chain, and the L1 protocol connects the two for rollup protocol verification.
Innovation
Taiko‘s innovation is centered around providing a ZK-EVM compatible blockchain, enabling Ethereum smart contract code to run as-is with zero changes necessary. This is a significant departure from the current ZK-Rollups in production that are mostly application-specific and cannot support the generalized computation of the EVM. This makes Taiko unique in its approach to scalability, while also preserving the compatibility with existing Ethereum L1 smart contracts and dApps. The project scores very high in Innovation, with a score of 10 out of 11.
Architecture
Taiko’s architecture is very detailed and well explained in the whitepaper. The blockchain is divided into three core components, each performing a specific function in the overall protocol. The design upholds the core principles of security, decentralization, and permissionlessness. The overall feeling about the architecture after deeper research is good, with a score of 11 out of 12.
Code Quality
Taiko’s code quality is good, with regular commits, extensive test coverage, and a high maintainability index. The project is open source, and the developers are active, experienced, and have a solid coding style. The quality of the code is good, well-commented, and has good test coverage. The project has a score of 13 out of 15 in Code Quality.
Product Roadmap
The Taiko mainnet is expected to launch in early 2024, and several testnets will be launched in between with each built over the top of the previous one, with more upgrades and features until all is completed for mainnet. Two bridges to move assets from Ethereum mainnet are already developed and launched.
Usability
Taiko can be integrated with existing EVM compatible infrastructure like wallets, making it easy to use for end customers. The project has a score of 5 out of 5 in Usability for Infrastructure Projects.
Team
The Taiko team has more than 5 active developers, with senior Git backgrounds and a solid coding style. The developers are experienced and active in the project’s development. The project has a score of 6 out of 7 in Team.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Taiko is a highly innovative project that aims to provide a type-1 ZK-EVM blockchain, preserving compatibility with existing Ethereum L1 smart contracts and dApps. The architecture is well designed, and the code quality is good. The project has a clear roadmap, and the team is experienced and active in the project’s development. With a score of 81.62%, Taiko is a promising project with potential in the blockchain space.
| Initial Screening | |||
| Keep researching | |||
| Does this project need to use blockchain technology? | Yes | ||
| Can this project be realized? | Yes | ||
| Is there a viable use case for this project? | Yes | ||
| Is the project protected from commonly known attacks? | Yes | ||
| Are there no careless errors in the whitepaper? | Yes | ||
Project Technology Score | |||
| Description | Scorecard | ||
| Innovation (Out Of 11) | 10 | ||
| How have similar projects performed? | Good | 2 | |
| Are there too many innovations? | Medium | 1 | |
| Percentage of crypto users that will use the project? | Over 11% | 5 | |
| Is the project unique? | Yes | 2 | |
| Architecture (Out of 12) | 11 | ||
| Overall feeling after reading whitepaper? | Good | 2 | |
| Resistance to possible attacks? | Good | 2 | |
| Complexity of the architecture? | Not too complex | 2 | |
| Time taken to understand the architecture? | 20-50 minute | 1 | |
| Overall feeling about the architecture after deeper research? | Good | 4 | |
| Has the project been hacked? | No | 0 | |
| Code Quality (out of 15) | 13 | ||
| Is the project open source? | Yes | 2 | |
| Does the project use good code like C,C++, Rust, Erlang, Ruby, etc? | Yes | 2 | |
| Could the project use better programming languages? | No | 0 | |
| Github number of lines? | More than 10K | 1 | |
| Github commits per month? | More than 10 | 2 | |
| What is the quality of the code? | Good | 2 | |
| How well is the code commented? | Outstanding | 2 | |
| Overall quality of the test coverage? | Good | 1 | |
| Overall quality of the maintainability index? | Good | 1 | |
| When Mainnet (out of 5) | 0 | ||
| When does the mainnet come out? | |||
| Usability for Infrastructure Projects (out of 5) | 5 | ||
| Is it easy to use for the end customer? | Yes | 5 | |
| Team (out of 7) | 6 | ||
| Number of active developers? | 5+ | 2 | |
| Developers average Git Background? | Senior | 2 | |
| Developers coding style? | Solid | 2 | |
| Total Score (out of 55) | 45 | ||
| Percentage Score | |||
| Innovation | 18.18% | ||
| Architecture | 20.00% | ||
| Code Quality | 23.64% | ||
| Mainnet | 0.00% | ||
| Usability | 9.09% | ||
| Team | 10.91% | ||
| Total | 81.82% |
