EVM is coming to Zilliqa
EVM is coming to Zilliqa mainnet. The first complete release of EVM compatibility to the Zilliqa mainnet is set to go live on April 25th, 2023.
EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) is the software platform used to build applications on Ethereum. Not only on Ethereum but also with other protocols that have implemented EVM compatibility. Bringing EVM to Zilliqa opens its ecosystem to the wider blockchain developer community and allows users to use popular wallets such as MetaMask with the Zilliqa ecosystem.
Next Step After Testnet
The next step after this testnet implementation is to bring the first complete release of EVM compatibility to the Zilliqa mainnet, which is set to go live on April 25th, 2023.
Once this EVM implementation launches on the mainnet, users will be able to transfer native ZILs using wallets such as MetaMask. They can also deploy Solidity smart contracts using popular developer tools such as Truffle and Hardhat.
Going forward, EVM compatibility will be expanded to include full interoperability between Scilla and Solidity smart contract standards. This functionality will be phased in first on the testnet and later on the Zilliqa mainnet.
What to expect from EVM on mainnet
Valeriy explains the way EVM compatibility has been implemented on Zilliqa. It is superior to many layer-2 protocols due to the ability to transfer tokens natively without complex and extraneous conversion processes.
“This is a full, complete implementation of EVM compatibility with all the APIs. Most of the dApps will not require any adaptation at all. We have a better implementation than many layer-2 blockchains because one of the things that we’ve decided is to make EVM native to the Zilliqa ecosystem.
There are a small number of exceptions that are already published in our documentation and relate primarily to certain opcodes, but to a significant extent we have fully native EVM compatibility.
The Use of Metamask
This native implementation means people can use wallets like MetaMask. It is the same way they do on other blockchains without worrying about address space differences or converting ZIL tokens.
“EVM accesses the same ZIL as Scilla in the same address space. For example, if I send some ZIL from my account to your account, and you use ZILSwap and I use Metamask, it’s in the same address space. If my smart contract sends ZIL to you, we can exchange value directly without any bridges, without any unnecessary delays. In most layer-2 implementations, you would still have to wrap your tokens and have another token to complete this transfer.
Once this first full EVM compatibility release is live, people can use the same MetaMask setup they already use with other chains. All they will need to do is to move their balances from their Zilliqa wallet to Metamask. Then they can exchange native ZILs among themselves,” Valeriy says.
Additionally, they can write code in Solidity. Deploy that to the mainnet and create dApps using the same tools as you would in any other EVM environment – Truffle, Hardhat
Zilliqa’s EVM compatibility also provides extensive support for API libraries such as Ethers.js and Web3.js. Both of these are working well in the current testnet implementation.
ABOUT Zilliqa
Zilliqa is your portal to the blockchain world, enabling you to create user-friendly dApps more easily. ZIL is a native token for the Zilliqa blockchain. It is built to enable and scale decentralized apps, from financial services to NFT marketplaces.
