Understanding ZERO Protocol Architecture

ZERO Protocol is a decentralised, self-sovereign identity solution that aims to abstract onchain and offchain identities through integrated layers. Each layer should be provable, verifiable, and rigid yet permissionless.

The end result should be zk-powered, omnichain, and one shared state across wallets.

Still don't understand? Let's break it down.

Firstly we need to understand what idenities are. Simply put, it is the distinguishing characteristics or personality of an individual, representing their presence.

In tradfi, identities are rigid, and privacy is a nightmare. Data brokers exploit user identities, profiting from information web3 aims to return to users. But the truth is we need solid real-world identities to unlock real-world value for web3. Identities that can distinguish the bad players and still retain privacy.

Self-sovereignty means that the age of rigid identity control is over, keeping the core values of decentralisation yet providing a distinguished presence.

We have two major reasons for choosing to build onchain. For us we started by identifying the problems and working out a solution backwards.

Firstly, to achieve provability, censorship resistance, and a permisionless ecosystem, a blockchain's immutability and decentralisation are of utmost importance. It ensures we can prove identity data, protect proof generation from spoofing, and never actually lose track of the truth.

Secondly, we have identified a missing component of web3 identities, and we aim to solve these issues by majorly servicing blockchain consumers (ultimately, we believe in a future without distinction in web3 & web2). To do this, we'll need to access a powerful, fast, interoperable, and storage optimised VM, so we've opted for an EVM compatible Layer2, opening the door to bringing trust, credibility, and identity to DeFi.

Currently, most identity solutions offerings are siloed, fragmented, and proof of personhood needs to be repeated everywhere it could be needed. We identitfied that credential issuance can't work well with such systems.

While dealing with this identity crisis, ZERO Labs has introduced nuanced solutions that serves onchain users and is dynamic enough to solve the issues with the general identity industry.

We've identified 3 major layers that are most dire for our solution:

This is the fundamental layer that enables you to attest to credentials, and is made up of four primary leaf nodes.

• Credential

• Examiner

• zkSchema

• zkGenerator

We're leveraging zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), merkle verifications, and immutable data storarge for each node.

And in order to best understand each of them, we've designed a few diagrams to help explain the issuance and attestation processes.

The SDKs are designed for the client (running on the user's device), and we don't recommend using them on servers. However, proofs can be stored by applications or disposed of for one-time use, as they don't contain any sensitive information. Proof can be verified via prover nodes provided through our network.

Note: The processes are intricate and complex and will be abstracted through our SDKs. SDKs will be opensource, but their interactions with the protocol will be gated to provide an extra layer of security.

Using ERC-4337, we're working together with Passport Protocol (different from omPassports) to bring you an abstracted account system.

At first, this layer appears to be solely targeted for crypto payments, but that's wrong. Smart acconts provide a secure, dynamic identity singularity for ZERO, enabling its onchain prowess. This system works hand in hand to achieve onchain identity with the unification layer, with the added advantage of a subscription system that developers can take advantage of.

Now, this diagram doesn't clarify why the Balance Abstraction layer is important. So for us to best understand how all this things bring together omni-identities, let's explore the next layer.

Unification is arguably the most important layer of any system to work, and it's no exception to ZERO Protocol and could make or break the architecture between credential issuance and actual verification/use both onchain and offchain. So we've pieced together a standard architecure that connects all the nodes and layers, also enabling shared states onchain.

Abstracted accounts work in a way whereby omIDs can be provided to people who aren't avid users of blockchain technology. Passport Protocol enables them to be usable through extraordinary ways, and together, we'll explore how to make self-sovereign identities accessible to as much as possible.

Note: In order to ensure speed and efficiency, interactions between nodes are performed through gRPC.

We barely touched anything here. The process is very nuanced and this only shows how the infrastructure theoretically works, and foregoing general usability.

Abstraction is needed, and to achieve true self-sovereignty, we're committed to developing intuitive tools like dashboards and apps, making this transformative technology accessible to everyone.

Remember, this is just the beginning – the possibilities for use-cases are limitless, bound only by your imagination.

Hope this does it. For further questions, reach out on our discord. Remember to stay tuned on our X (Formerly Twitter) and join our waitlist.