8.1.2024
Hey Web3 trailblazers 👋
We are gearing up for the launch of a new addition to the txSync platform, that is set to revolutionize the way you interact with paymasters on the mind-blowing ZKsync network.
In an upcoming four-part blog series, we are going to unveil the exciting journey behind our latest creation. We will share why we embarked on this adventure, unravel what challenges it solves, introduce you to the groundbreaking concepts it brings, and explain how you can harness its power to the fullest!
We are going to start by cracking code on what makes paymaster on zkSync tick.
Before we dive deep into the world of paymasters, let’s take a step back and examine the foundation upon which all our projects at txSync are built: ZKsync.
Why ZKsync, you may wonder? Let’s look at the two most compelling advantages:
When it comes to the first point, let’s turn our attention to some recent and highly intriguing developments made by the Matter Labs team.
Picture this: gas fees reduced to just a few cents for almost any type of transaction on ZKsync Era.
Matter Labs has been making quite some waves with their announcements, and the best part is that even more exciting changes are on the horizon. Brace yourselves for a revolution that will make transactions smoother, faster, and incredibly cost-effective!
Let’s shift our focus to the second point - which is a real game-changer: Native AA + paymaster support.
Native Account Abstraction (AA) brings a lot of benefits to the users and developers on ZKsync network, and there are many great blog posts and presentation that talk about this. And each time AA is mentioned, you can always hear something called Paymaster. But what exactly is that?
At its core, a Paymaster is not run-of-the-mill smart contract; it’s rather a smart contract with a distinct set of attributs. Think of it as a versatile performer on the blockchain stage. You have power to write it, deploy it, and it can even claim its very own address on the ZKsync network, just like any other contract.
Two key factors to set it apart:
While this is technically achievable on the Ethereum mainnet as well, ZKsync takes it a step further by supporting this feature natively! This means that every single user account and smart contract, right from day one, can hop on board and enjoy the perks without requiring any changes.
Now that we have demystified essence of Paymasters, let’s explore different types of the paymasters.
* Note: we are not going too technical in this blog post, so some of the things mentioned are a bit of oversimplification. If you want to dive deep into the tech part of it, please visit excellent ZKsync docs.
At txSync, we categorize Paymasters into two fundamental types:
- Sponsored paymaster: This type allows you to create and deploy your paymaster, then seamlessly integrate it with any other DApp. The magic happens when developers use this to build "gasless" payments right into their DApp. Users who engage with the app won't have to spend a single cent on transaction fees! Imagine the possibilities!
- ERC20 Paymaster: Now, this is where things get interesting. You know how every time you make a transaction from your wallet, you need some ETH in it to cover gas fees? Well, not anymore, thanks to the ERC20 Paymaster! Developers can infuse their apps with the power to let users pay fees using any ERC20 token they support. It's a game-changer, and you can witness its real-world application on our Portal and Bridge.
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This is a monumental shift for many users who no longer need to visit exchanges or swaps to convert their tokens into ETH for fees. How many wallets have so little ETH that it doesn’t pay off to actually move it? Well, it’s not lost anymore if you use Paymaster!
It’s a true game-changer! You can learn more about this awesome feature in our blog post, where we explained everything in more details.
In just three weeks, txSync paymaster contract has, in the time of writing, processed over 1500 transactions, showing real-world utility!
These two Paymasters are just the tip of the iceberg! You have probably heard whisperers of connecting your NFT to a Paymaster to eliminate gas fee or maybe hosting “gassless Friday” as part of your product offering. You are absolutely right: those are all possible and we are fully aware of it.
Keep an eye out for our product announcement where we'll dive into these innovations 😉
Now, you may wonder, if we have those revolutionary paymaster functionalities available, why aren’t there more DApps on ZKsync that use them? 🤔 The part two of this blog series will answer exactly that question. Plus, we'll introduce a solution that empowers anyone to build, customize, and monitor their Paymaster with just a few clicks!
Stay tuned for txTsuko-Paymaster as a Service!
*This article is also published on txFusion Medium channel.
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