The EY organization announces it has updated the public domain source code for Nightfall1, a layer-2 roll-up that enables private transactions on the public Ethereum blockchain and the “development of privacy-focused enterprise blockchain solutions.”
This updated version of Nightfall replaces the optimistic roll-up with a zero-knowledge version – enabling “the near-instant finality of transactions on the blockchain without the need for a challenge period.”
Using Nightfall, enterprises can orchestrate private transactions efficiently on the Ethereum mainnet, “without compromising the transparency, data immutability and security that Ethereum provides.”
The replacement of a cryptoeconomic approach with a cryptographic approach simplifies Nightfall’s architecture because there is “no need to accommodate challenging incorrect blocks, nor to provide liquidity services to avoid users having to wait out the challenge period to get their tokens.”
As soon as a Nightfall block is added to the chain, “the transactions it contains are as final as any other blockchain transaction.”
This simplifies the operating requirements for Nightfall, “making privacy technology more accessible for enterprise users.”
Nightfall’s other features, such as access provision “through x509 enterprise identity certificates and the enhanced scalability with privacy, have all been retained.”
The source code for Nightfall, renamed Nightfall_4, and “supporting tools are in the public domain and are available on GitHub.”
Nightfall remains in the public domain to facilitate the “adoption of privacy-focused enterprise solutions among companies seeking to enter Ethereum and conduct meaningful business on the network.”
The EY organization first contributed Nightfall to the public domain in 2019 as a set of protocols for “enabling private transactions on the Ethereum blockchain, and Nightfall_4 is the fourth major update to the software.”
EY core software and service offerings in “the global blockchain market, such as EY OpsChain, use Nightfall, and are delivered through EY Blockchain’s SaaS platform, Blockchain.ey.com.”
Paul Brody, EY Global Blockchain Leader, says:
“This update to version 4 represents a major update to Nightfall, providing the same privacy and scaling that version 3 enabled, but now with near-instant finality and a simplified architecture. We believe we will see accelerating adoption of this technology in the coming year by enterprise users.”
As noted in the update, EY is building a “better working world” by creating new value for clients, people, society, and the planet, while “building trust in capital markets.”
Enabled by data, AI, and advanced technology, EY teams help clients confidently shape the future and “develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow.”
EY teams provide a spectrum of services in “assurance, consulting, tax, strategy, and transactions.”
Fueled by sector insights, a globally connected, multi-disciplinary network, and diverse ecosystem partners, EY teams can provide services in “more than 150 countries and territories.”