Below you'll find a curated and organized list with everything from complete beginner resources (like, "what even is a ZK proof?") to advanced research papers that'll make your head spin. The key insight: you don't need to understand everything to start building. You just need the right starting point and a clear path forward.

What makes this different: We've verified the core links work, provided search strategies when links inevitably break, and most importantly, told you in what order to read things. Because that matters way more than having a giant list of resources you'll never touch.

If you're jumping into ZK, start with the beginner section. If you're a dev, skip to the practical implementation. If you're a researcher, you already know what you're looking for (but check the paper section anyway).

Let's get you from zero to zero-knowledge.

Note on links: Web links change over time. I've verified the critical ones (marked with ✓), but if something breaks, use the search terms I've provided. Most of these resources are well-known enough that a quick Google will find them.

For Complete Beginners:

1. Start with "Why and How zk-SNARK Works" by Petkus (2-3 hours)
2. Watch Computerphile video (10 min)
3. Read Justin Thaler's book chapters 1-4 (ongoing reference)
4. Try zkREPL for hands-on practice
5. Join ZK Telegram for questions

For Developers:

1. Read Petkus paper (if not done)
2. Work through Circom documentation (1-2 days)
3. Complete ZK Hack puzzles (practice)
4. Study 0xPARC learning resources (project-based)
5. Join developer communities (Discord/Telegram)

For Researchers:

1. Read Justin Thaler textbook fully
2. Study key papers (Groth16, PLONK, zkSTARK)
3. Follow ZK Research Forum
4. Read latest eprint papers
5. Attend ZK conferences

For Security Auditors:

1. Study ZK bug tracker
2. Read Trail of Bits audit reports
3. Learn circuit analysis tools
4. Practice on open source circuits
5. Join security-focused communities
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Key Twitter Accounts to Follow

• Eli Ben Sassoon - Co-founder of StarkWare, zkSTARK pioneer
• Vitor Py - Founder of Darklake, ZK on Solana
• Patrick McCorry - ZK researcher
• James Prestwich, ZK infrastructure
• Brandon Kase - O(1) Labs, ZK proofs
• Thomas Hsueh - Topology, StarkNet ecosystem
• Zaki Manian - ZK infrastructure
• Martin Köppelmann - Gnosis, ZK applications
• Justin Thaler - ZK researcher and author

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Here's the truth: most ZK resources assume you already know what you're doing.

They throw around terms like "polynomial commitments" and "R1CS constraints" without explaining what any of it means. Or they're so watered down they don't actually teach you anything useful.

The resources below are different. They're the rare ones that start from absolute zero and build up systematically. No PhD required. No prior cryptography knowledge needed. Just curiosity and willingness to think through problems.

Start with Matthew Green's primer if you want the gentlest possible introduction. It's a 15-minute read that'll give you the mental model. Then move to the Petkus paper. It's 80 pages, but it's genuinely one of the best ZK resources written for beginners. Take your time with it. Work through the examples. This is your foundation.

Once you've got the basics, the additional readings will fill in gaps and give you different perspectives on the same concepts. Some will click better than others. That's normal.

Justin Thaler's book is the gold standard. It's a graduate textbook, but it's written for mortals. If you're serious about understanding ZK (not just using it, but truly understanding it) this is your bible. You don't need to read all 540 pages at once. Read chapters as you need them.

Boneh and Shoup's cryptography course gives you the mathematical foundations. Chapter 19 is the ZK-specific content, but the earlier chapters on group theory, finite fields, and basic crypto will make everything else make sense.

Moon Math Manual is for when you need to look something up. It's comprehensive, dense, and extremely detailed. Use it as a reference, not a linear read.

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Zero Knowledge Proofs: An Illustrated Primer by Matthew Green

• Gentle introduction with clear examples
• Great for non-technical readers
• 15-minute read

Why and How zk-SNARK Works by Maksym Petkus ✓ VERIFIED

• THE best beginner resource for understanding zkSNARKs
• Builds intuition from basic concepts to full protocol
• ~80 pages but extremely readable
• No advanced math background required
• Direct PDF: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1906.07221.pdf

Additional entry-level readings:

• Introduction to Zero Knowledge - Alon Rosen
• Proofs of Knowledge - Yehuda lindell
• Demonstration of Zero-Knowledge Proof for Sudoku Using Standard Playing Cards
• Zero Knowledge - Boaz Barak

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Core Textbooks and Papers

Proofs, Arguments, and Zero-Knowledge by Justin Thaler (FREE)

• Comprehensive graduate-level textbook
• Modern treatment of interactive proofs
• Covers zkSNARKs and zkSTARKs
• Direct PDF: https://people.cs.georgetown.edu/jthaler/ProofsArgsAndZK.pdf
• ~540 pages, well-written
• Updated regularly

A Graduate Course in Applied Cryptography by Dan Boneh and Victor Shoup (FREE)

• Chapter 19 covers zero-knowledge proofs
• Rigorous but readable
• Excellent problem sets
• Used in Stanford's crypto course

The Moon Math Manual (FREE)

• Search: "Moon Math Manual GitHub"
• Comprehensive math foundations for ZK
• ~500 pages covering everything
• From basic algebra to zkSNARKs
• PDF available on GitHub
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Key Research Papers
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Every ZK protocol you use today started as a research paper.

Someone had an idea, proved it worked, published it, and then the entire ecosystem built on top of it. Understanding these papers, even at a high level, helps you understand why the ZK space works the way it does.

You don't need to read every proof. You don't need to understand every theorem. But you should know what Groth16 is (smallest proofs), why PLONK matters (universal setup), and what zkSTARKs bring to the table (no trusted setup, quantum resistance).

Start with abstracts and introductions. They'll tell you what problem the paper solves and why it matters. If you need more detail, dig into the technical sections. If a paper is over your head, bookmark it and come back in a few months. Your understanding grows faster than you realize.

Below are the papers that defined modern ZK. They're listed on https://eprint.iacr.org/ (the standard repository for cryptography research). You can search for them by their eprint number or paper name.

‍Zyga: Optimized Zero-Knowledge Proofs with Dynamic Public Inputs - [2025/1802]

• Search: "Zyga Darklake malleable commitments"
• Introduces malleable ZK primitives for reusable proofs
• Enables proof composition across applications
• Foundation for malleable privacy infrastructure on Solana
• Research paper and implementation details forthcoming

Pinocchio Protocol - [2013/879]

• Foundation for many modern zkSNARKs
• Explains QAP (Quadratic Arithmetic Programs)
• Search: "Pinocchio zkSNARK eprint"

Groth16 - [2016/260]

• The most widely used zkSNARK construction
• Smallest proof size
• Search: "Groth16 eprint"

zkSTARKs - [2018/046]

• Original zkSTARK paper
• No trusted setup, quantum-resistant
• Search: "zkSTARKs eprint 2018"

PLONK - [2019/953]

• Universal zkSNARK with single trusted setup
• Custom gates for optimization
• Search: "PLONK eprint"

Halo - [2019/1021]

• Recursive zkSNARKs without trusted setup
• Used by Zcash and others
• Search: "Halo recursive proofs eprint"

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Not everyone learns by reading papers.

Some people need to see someone work through a problem on a whiteboard. Others need a structured course with deadlines and problem sets to stay motivated. And some just want to listen to experts talk while they're commuting or at the gym.

The good news: ZK has gone mainstream enough that you've got options beyond just grinding through PDFs.

If you want structure: Take a MOOC. These are full university-level courses with lectures, assignments, and often community support. You'll get a systematic progression from basics to advanced topics, and the accountability of a course schedule can keep you moving forward.

If you learn visually: Watch conference talks and whiteboard sessions. Seeing someone diagram out how a zkSNARK works, or watching them debug a circuit in real-time, clicks in a way that reading about it never does.

Below you'll find the best structured courses, video series, and podcasts for learning ZK at every level.

MOOCS AND COURSES

ZK Learning - Beginner Series (Now the Berkley MOOC)

• Search: "zk-learning.org"
• 8-week structured course
• Video lectures by experts
• Assignments and problem sets
• Community Discord

Modern Zero-Knowledge Cryptography - MIT OpenCourseWare

• Search: "MIT zero knowledge course"
• Graduate-level course
• ~20 lectures
• Problem sets available

Cryptography Course - Dan Boneh/Stanford

• Search: "Dan Boneh Cryptography Coursera"
• Stanford professor
• Covers ZK in later modules
• Free to audit

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Video Introductions

Zero Knowledge Proofs - Computerphile

A Beginners Guide to Zero Knowledge Proofs - Jared Watts

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Hands-On Tutorials

ZK Hack Puzzles

• Search: "ZK Hack puzzles"
• Interactive ZK puzzles
• Learn by solving challenges
• Different difficulty levels

0xPARC Learning Resources

• Search: "0xPARC learning"
• Applied ZK course materials
• Circom tutorials
• Project-based learning
• Free and comprehensive

The ZK space moves fast. Really fast.

New protocols drop. Research papers get published. Projects launch. Vulnerabilities get discovered. If you're only reading textbooks and old papers, you're learning the foundations but missing what's happening right now.

Podcasts and newsletters are your early warning system. They surface what matters, interview the people building things, and break down complex developments into digestible updates.

Why podcasts work: You can absorb ZK content while doing literally anything else: commuting, working out, cooking, walking the dog. No focused reading time required. Plus, hearing researchers explain their work in conversation often makes complex concepts click better than reading their paper ever would.

Why newsletters matter: Curated signal in a sea of noise. Someone else has already filtered through dozens of papers, blog posts, and project updates to surface the 5-10 things you actually need to know this week.

Essential Podcasts

Zero Knowledge Podcast

• THE flagship ZK podcast
• Weekly episodes with researchers, founders, and builders
• Host Anna Rose does her homework—technical but accessible
• Topics range from protocol deep-dives to ecosystem updates
• Episodes are ~45-60 minutes
• Essential listening for anyone in ZK

Epicenter Podcast - ZK Episodes

• Search: "Epicenter podcast zero knowledge"
• General crypto podcast with frequent ZK episodes
• High-quality interviews with protocol founders
• Good for ecosystem context

Bankless - Privacy & ZK Episodes

• Search: "Bankless podcast zero knowledge privacy"
• Ethereum-focused but covers ZK L2s extensively
• More mainstream/accessible than pure research pods
• Good for understanding ZK market narrative

The Chopping Block - ZK Coverage

• Search: "Chopping Block podcast Haseeb Qureshi"
• Dragonfly Capital's podcast
• Investment perspective on ZK projects
• Useful for understanding what investors care about

Bell Curve Podcast - Privacy Tech Episodes

• Search: "Bell Curve podcast privacy technology"
• Deep technical discussions
• Often features ZK researchers
• More academic tone

Uncommon Core - Crypto & ZK

• Search: "Uncommon Core podcast Hasu"
• Strategy and mechanism design
• ZK scalability discussions
• Technical but accessible

The Defiant - ZK & Privacy Coverage

• Search: "The Defiant podcast"
• DeFi-focused with regular ZK coverage
• Covers zkEVM launches and updates
• Good for application layer perspective

Unchained - Laura Shin

• Search: "Unchained podcast Laura Shin"
• Interviews with ZK project founders
• Privacy and security focus
• Long-form, investigative style

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Newsletters

ZK Newsletter

• Weekly roundup of everything ZK
• Paper summaries (so you know what to read)
• Project updates (launches, partnerships, funding)
• Research highlights and technical breakdowns
• Community-maintained, high signal
• Subscribe: Free, arrives every week

ZK Capital Research

• Search: "ZK Capital Substack"
• Investment-focused ZK analysis
• Project deep-dives and ecosystem mapping
• Helps understand market dynamics
• Free and paid tiers

StarkWare Newsletter

• Search: "StarkWare newsletter subscribe"
• Updates from the zkSTARK team
• Cairo tutorials and technical content
• Ecosystem announcements

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Key Blogs to Follow

Vitalik's Blog

• Search: "Vitalik Buterin blog"
• Posts on ZK tech, scaling, and applications
• When Vitalik writes about ZK, the whole space pays attention
• Technical but accessible

StarkWare Blog (Medium)

• Search: "StarkWare Medium blog"
• Deep technical posts on zkSTARKs
• Cairo tutorials and explainers
• Regular educational content

0xPARC Blog

• Search: "0xPARC blog"
• Applied ZK research
• Tutorial series and case studies
• Focuses on practical implementations

Aztec Blog

• Search: "Aztec Network blog"
• Privacy-focused ZK content
• Noir language tutorials
• Protocol updates and research

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Communities and Forums

Discussion and Q&A

ZK Research Forum

• Search: "zkresear.ch"
• Active research discussions
• Technical Q&A
• Paper discussions
• Moderated by experts

r/cryptography - Reddit

• https://www.reddit.com/r/cryptography/
• General cryptography discussions
• ZK questions welcome
• Good for beginners

ZK Telegram Groups

• Search: "zero knowledge telegram"
• Real-time discussions
• Industry news
• Very active
  

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How to Actually Use These Resources

For staying current (15 min/week):

• Subscribe to ZK Newsletter
• Skim headlines, read what's interesting
• You'll know what's happening without drowning in content

For deep learning (2-3 hours/week):

• Listen to 1-2 Zero Knowledge Podcast episodes
• Pick topics you're working on or curious about
• Take notes on resources mentioned

For ecosystem awareness (30 min/week):

• Follow 2-3 blogs relevant to your focus area
• Read when announcements drop
• Understand how projects are positioning

The key: Don't try to consume everything. Pick 1 podcast, 1 newsletter, and 1-2 blogs. Stick with them for a month. You'll learn more from consistent shallow engagement than sporadic deep dives.

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Alright, enough theory. Time to actually build something.

If you've made it this far, you probably understand what zero-knowledge proofs are and why they matter. Now comes the fun part: writing circuits, generating proofs, and making this stuff work in production.

Fair warning: ZK development is different from normal programming. You're not writing Python scripts or deploying smart contracts in the traditional sense. You're designing arithmetic circuits: basically expressing your logic as a series of mathematical constraints. It's closer to hardware design than software.

The good news: The tooling has gotten way better. You don't need a PhD to start building. You just need to pick a circuit language, work through some tutorials, and start small.

The reality check: Your first circuits will be inefficient. You'll hit constraint limits. You'll spend hours debugging why your proof verification fails. This is normal. Every ZK dev goes through this.

Start with Circom if you want the easiest on-ramp. It has the most tutorials, the biggest community, and the most examples to learn from. Once you understand the basics, you can explore other languages.

Below you'll find everything you need: circuit languages, development tools, and the libraries that'll save you from reinventing the wheel.

Let's write some circuits.

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Interactive Learning Tools

zkREPL

• Search: "zkrepl.dev"
• Browser-based circuit IDE
• Write and test Circom
• Instant feedback
• Great for learning

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Circuit Design Languages

Circom Documentation

• Most popular ZK circuit language
• JavaScript-like syntax
• Extensive documentation
• Active community

Circom GitHub Repository

• Source code and examples
• Issue tracker for questions
• Community contributions

Cairo Documentation

• Language for zkSTARKs
• Used by StarkNet ecosystem

Noir Documentation

• Rust-like syntax for ZK circuits
• Modern language design

ZoKrates

• High-level language for zkSNARKs
• Python-like syntax

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Development Tools

snarkjs - JavaScript library ✓ VERIFIED

• Generate and verify Groth16/PLONK proofs
• Works with Circom circuits
• Browser and Node.js compatible
• Well-maintained by iden3

arkworks - Rust libraries

• Comprehensive ZK cryptography toolkit
• High performance
• Used by many production systems

gnark - Go library

• Fast zkSNARK library
• Supports Groth16, PLONK
• Good documentation
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Ecosystem-Specific Resources

Solana ZK

Darklake (Zyga)

• Search: "Darklake Zyga Solana" or visit darklake.fi
• Malleable ZK primitives
• Reusable proofs across applications
• Privacy-preserving derivatives DEX
• In development

Light Protocol Docs

• Search: "Light Protocol Solana documentation"
• ZK compression on Solana
• State management
• Developer SDK

Elusiv Documentation

• Search: "Elusiv Solana documentation"
• Privacy protocol for Solana
• Shielded transactions
• SDK and guides

Ethereum

zkSync Documentation

• Search: "zkSync era documentation"
• Leading Ethereum L2
• PLONK-based
• Developer docs and tutorials

Ethereum Magicians - ZK Category

• Search: "Ethereum Magicians ZK"
• Standards discussions
• Technical depth

StarkNet Book

• Search: "StarkNet book"
• Complete StarkNet guide
• Cairo programming
• zkSTARK fundamentals

Polygon zkEVM Docs

• Search: "Polygon zkEVM documentation"
• EVM-equivalent zkEVM
• Technical specifications
• Developer guides

Aztec Documentation

• Search: "Aztec Network documentation"
• Privacy-focused L2
• PLONK circuits
• Noir language

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Security Analysis

ZK Security Best Practices

• Search: "0xPARC zk-bug-tracker GitHub"
• Known vulnerabilities database
• Common pitfalls
• Security patterns

Trail of Bits Publications

• Search: "Trail of Bits publications GitHub"
• Public audit reports
• Security issues found
• Professional perspective

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