Polygon, an Ethereum layer-2 developer, has introduced an alpha version testnet of its newest zero-knowledge (ZK)-rollup product, called Miden, as the competition for scaling Ethereum intensifies.

On May 6, Polygon announced that the Polygon Miden Alpha Testnet zero-knowledge was active for developers to start testing. Miden operates as a ZK-rollup that aims to expand the functionalities of the Ethereum blockchain.

Similar to other ZK-rollups, Polygon’s latest solution utilizes a cryptographic method where data can be verified without revealing the actual data to the network.

Moreover, Miden offers client-side proving, allowing users to generate proofs for their own state transitions without the need to disclose the state to the network. This approach aims to decrease the burden on the network, enhancing privacy and scalability.

Additionally, Miden supports private accounts, enabling private tokens and transactions with only the hash of the account stored on the chain.

One of Miden’s key features is parallel transaction execution, enabling higher throughput compared to the Ethereum mainnet and reducing blockchain node state bloat.

Planned features for Miden include customizable smart contracts and customized node scripts using the Miden virtual machine (VM) and languages such as Rust.

A builders testnet is slated for September, according to the Miden roadmap, without specifying a mainnet launch date.

Miden competes directly with StarkWare’s StarkNet and other alternatives such as Matter Labs’ zkSync Era for layer-2 scaling solutions.

In addition, Polygon has developed zkEVM as a scaling solution equivalent to Ethereum Virtual Machine, facilitating the seamless operation of existing smart contracts, tools, and wallets.

The price of Polygon’s native token, MATIC, did not immediately respond to the testnet launch, declining by 3.7% to trade at $0.704 at the time of reporting.