Add BN254 and BLS12-381 Groth16 verifier (Circom, Gnark, and Arkworks) by mysteryon88 · Pull Request #396 · stellar/soroban-examples

mysteryon88 · 2026-01-27T08:25:13Z

What

Added usage examples for the Soroban Groth16 verifier contract generator implemented in this project, using proofs and verification keys produced by Circom, Gnark, and Arkworks.

Why

These examples demonstrate how the generator can be used with popular ZK frameworks to generate Soroban-compatible verifier contracts and make the intended workflow clearer for users.

Known limitations

The implementation is based on the Soroban Groth16 verifier example from the Stellar repository
The generator and resulting contracts have not undergone a security audit

socket-security · 2026-01-27T08:25:52Z

Review the following changes in direct dependencies. Learn more about Socket for GitHub.

Diff	Package	Supply Chain Security	Vulnerability	Quality	Maintenance	License
	golang/github.com/consensys/gnark@v0.14.0
	golang/github.com/consensys/gnark-crypto@v0.20.1
	cargo/soroban-sdk@26.0.0
	cargo/serde_json@1.0.149
	cargo/ark-crypto-primitives@0.6.0
	cargo/ark-ed-on-bls12-381@0.6.0
	cargo/ark-groth16@0.6.0
	cargo/ark-relations@0.6.0
	cargo/ark-snark@0.6.0
	cargo/ark-snarkjs@0.2.0
	cargo/tracing@0.1.44
	cargo/tracing-subscriber@0.3.23
	cargo/ark-bn254@0.6.0
	cargo/ark-ec@0.6.0
	cargo/ark-serialize@0.6.0
	cargo/ark-std@0.6.0
	cargo/ark-r1cs-std@0.6.0
	golang/github.com/mysteryon88/gnark-to-snarkjs@v1.0.5
	cargo/ark-ff@0.6.0
	cargo/ark-bls12-381@0.6.0

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socket-security · 2026-01-27T08:25:54Z

All alerts resolved. Learn more about Socket for GitHub.

This PR previously contained dependency changes with security issues that have been resolved, removed, or ignored.

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Copilot

Pull request overview

Adds example inputs and generated Soroban verifier contract crates demonstrating how to use the Soroban Groth16 verifier generator with Circom- and Gnark-produced artifacts.

Changes:

Added Circom and Gnark example proof/VK JSON fixtures under groth16_verifier_gen/data/.
Added two generated Soroban verifier contract crates (verifier, gnark_verifier) with basic tests.
Added groth16_verifier_gen workspace scaffolding/docs (README, workspace Cargo files, gitignore), plus an unrelated account/Cargo.lock update.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 14 out of 16 changed files in this pull request and generated 5 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
groth16_verifier_gen/data/gnark/verification_key.json	Adds Gnark verification key fixture for generator usage/testing.
groth16_verifier_gen/data/gnark/proof.json	Adds Gnark proof fixture for generator usage/testing.
groth16_verifier_gen/data/circom/verification_key.json	Adds Circom verification key fixture for generator usage/testing.
groth16_verifier_gen/data/circom/public.json	Adds Circom public inputs fixture for generator usage/testing.
groth16_verifier_gen/data/circom/proof.json	Adds Circom proof fixture for generator usage/testing.
groth16_verifier_gen/contracts/verifier/src/test.rs	Adds tests for the generated verifier contract (Circom fixtures).
groth16_verifier_gen/contracts/verifier/src/lib.rs	Adds generated verifier contract implementation with embedded VK bytes.
groth16_verifier_gen/contracts/verifier/Cargo.toml	Adds contract crate manifest for the generated verifier.
groth16_verifier_gen/contracts/gnark_verifier/src/test.rs	Adds tests that load Gnark proof JSON and call the contract verifier.
groth16_verifier_gen/contracts/gnark_verifier/src/lib.rs	Adds generated verifier contract implementation for Gnark VK bytes.
groth16_verifier_gen/contracts/gnark_verifier/Cargo.toml	Adds contract crate manifest for the generated Gnark verifier.
groth16_verifier_gen/README.md	Documents how to run the verifier generator on the included fixtures.
groth16_verifier_gen/Cargo.toml	Adds workspace definition for the generated example contracts.
groth16_verifier_gen/Cargo.lock	Adds lockfile for the new workspace.
groth16_verifier_gen/.gitignore	Adds ignore rules for build artifacts and local Soroban config.
account/Cargo.lock	Updates lockfile dependencies (appears unrelated to this PR’s stated scope).

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jayz22 · 2026-01-28T21:28:59Z

I don't think this should be its own example..
IIUC It's essentially the same code as https://github.com/stellar/soroban-examples/tree/main/groth16_verifier, with different hardcoded vk parameters generated from other systems.

The groth16 example was generated with circom/snarkjs with parameters included, if you feel strongly it should also have Gnark support, perhaps open a PR in the same example with another set of data?

The project you mentioned in the description is a code generator, which clearly isn't this example here.

mysteryon88 · 2026-01-28T22:20:00Z

@jayz22

Thanks for the feedback, that’s fair.

I think part of the reason I made it a separate example is that I felt a bit uncomfortable modifying or reusing an existing example, so I created a new one instead. I understand your point though, and I’ll update the PR soon to extend the existing Groth16 example rather than adding a new one.

It was also important for me to share a small utility I wrote for generating the contract / VK bindings, to avoid manual translation. Similar generators exist in other ecosystems, but I haven’t seen one for Stellar/Soroban yet.

I’ll rework the PR accordingly.

jayz22 · 2026-01-28T22:33:53Z

@jayz22

Thanks for the feedback, that’s fair.

I think part of the reason I made it a separate example is that I felt a bit uncomfortable modifying or reusing an existing example, so I created a new one instead. I understand your point though, and I’ll update the PR soon to extend the existing Groth16 example rather than adding a new one.

It was also important for me to share a small utility I wrote for generating the contract / VK bindings, to avoid manual translation. Similar generators exist in other ecosystems, but I haven’t seen one for Stellar/Soroban yet.

I’ll rework the PR accordingly.

@mysteryon88 no worries! didn't mean to dismiss the work, this is a nice contribution improving its usability.
Please give it a try, happy to help you if needed!

mysteryon88 · 2026-01-29T06:27:46Z

@jayz22

Hi, I’ve updated the repository - I’d be glad to get your feedback!

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Pull request overview

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mysteryon88 · 2026-05-12T19:09:08Z

@jayz22, hi! Is there any chance that my PR will be accepted?

jayz22 · 2026-05-13T01:55:51Z

@jayz22, hi! Is there any chance that my PR will be accepted?

@mysteryon88 sorry for the late response.
This PR is still quite far off structurally. The two main values of this PR (as I understand it) 1. separate verification key bytes generated from separate tooling (with examples) 2. adding bn254 verifier.
So I suggest the following:

Make two groth16 contracts, one for each curve
Each contract should accept a verification key as input, or a set_verification_key method (with auth required).
Under tests/ for each contract, make each tooling generated data a separate instance.
So roughly the following directory structure:

  groth16_verifier/
  ├── Cargo.toml              # workspace
  ├── Makefile                # iterates over contracts/
  ├── README.md
  └── contracts/
      ├── bls12_381_verifier/
      │   ├── Cargo.toml
      │   ├── Makefile
      │   ├── src/lib.rs
      │   └── tests/
      │       ├── circom.rs           # integration test
      │       ├── gnark.rs
      │       ├── arkworks.rs
      │       ├── common/mod.rs       # shared JSON parsers
      │       └── data/
      │           ├── circom/
      │           │   ├── README.md
      │           │   ├── verification_key.json
      │           │   ├── proof.json
      │           │   ├── public.json
      │           │   └── auxiliary/   # circom + snarkjs scripts
      │           ├── gnark/...
      │           └── arkworks/...
      └── bn254_verifier/
          ├── Cargo.toml
          ├── Makefile
          ├── src/lib.rs
          └── tests/
              ├── gnark.rs
              ├── common/mod.rs
              └── data/gnark/...

let me know if this makes sense.
(if it's and okay with you, I'm happy to tag a commit to your branch so that we can get this through the finish line sooner.)

mysteryon88 · 2026-05-13T04:52:01Z

@jayz22 thanks, this makes sense.

I’ll start restructuring the PR and should have the main changes pushed in the next couple of hours. After that, feel free to commit directly to my branch if you want to adjust or finish anything.

…ract tests

mysteryon88 · 2026-05-13T08:56:41Z

@jayz22 hi, I’ve done it. Could you take a look and make any edits if needed? I think it turned out pretty well.

add Soroban Groth16 verifier generator

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mysteryon88 and others added 3 commits January 27, 2026 11:56

Update groth16_verifier_gen/Cargo.toml

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mysteryon88 and others added 8 commits January 29, 2026 23:37

fix copilot

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Merge branch 'main' into main

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added bn254 example for gnark

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Merge branch 'main' into main

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Update README and dependencies for groth16_verifier

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Merge branch 'main' into main

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Merge upstream main and resolve groth16_verifier toolchain conflict

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fix: replace deprecated Soroban curve aliases in verifier tests and b…

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Comment thread README.md Outdated

Comment thread groth16_verifier/contracts/bls12_381_verifier/tests/data/arkworks/auxiliary/src/circuit.rs

Comment thread ...rifier/contracts/bls12_381_verifier/tests/data/arkworks/auxiliary/tests/integration_tests.rs

mysteryon88 and others added 2 commits May 12, 2026 22:00

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mysteryon88 added 2 commits May 13, 2026 11:28

refactor: split groth16 verifier by curve and move fixtures into cont…

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fix makefiles and tests

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mysteryon88 changed the title ~~add Soroban Groth16 verifier generator~~ Add BN254 and BLS12-381 Groth16 verifier (Circom, Gnark, and Arkworks) May 13, 2026

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mysteryon88 commented Jan 27, 2026

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