A Verkle tree is a data structure that combines the benefits of Merkle trees and vector commitments to enable more efficient proof generation and verification. Merkle trees are data structures commonly used in blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum to organise and verify large sets of data. They allow users to prove that a piece of data belongs to a dataset without revealing the entire dataset, which is useful for validating transactions without downloading the entire blockchain.
A vector commitment is a cryptographic primitive that allows a user to commit to a vector (an ordered sequence of values) and later prove that specific values belong to that vector. It’s more flexible and efficient in certain use cases compared to Merkle trees.
Verkle trees significantly reduce the size of proofs required to verify data. In Merkle trees, as the dataset grows, the size of the proofs increases logarithmically with the number of elements. Verkle trees, on the other hand, can keep proof sizes much smaller, even for very large datasets, making them more suitable for blockchains with high transaction volumes.
By reducing the amount of data that needs to be transmitted and verified, Verkle trees enhance the scalability of blockchain networks, particularly important as blockchains grow in size and the number of transactions increases. Integrating Verkle trees can help blockchains reduce the bandwidth and storage requirements for full nodes, making networks more accessible and decentralised.
