Boundless operates as a decentralized marketplace and infrastructure for creating, aggregating, and verifying zero-knowledge proofs on any blockchain, abstracting the complex ZK development with developer tools.
The platform processes confirmation requests through a process where developers send computation requests to the Boundless market. Evidence providers (node operators) bid for work in the open market without permissions, using Dutch auctions to enhance economic efficiency. Designated nodes perform computations in zkVM, producing zero-knowledge proofs and raw data.
In Boundless $ZKC a generalized zkVM model is used, supporting zk-STARK protection systems with recursive aggregation to minimize costs for on-chain verification. The proof network operates through a permissionless decentralized Proof of Verifiable Work mechanism, allowing off-chain computations that return zk-proofs for verification in any blockchain.
With Steel, direct state requests to the EVM within zkVM can be made, allowing Solidity methods to be invoked within proofs and providing the capability for direct off-chain computations for Ethereum programs with minimal gas costs and almost instant finalization.
The platform provides the Boundless Rust SDK for high-level APIs, boundless-cli for command-line operations, templates, and tutorials for Foundry adaptation, as well as smart contract libraries for native verification across various blockchains.
