Zippel: A Language, Compiler, Runtime, and Analyzer for ZK Proof Systems

Sebastian Angel; Sydnie-Shea Cohen; Eleftherios Ioannidis; Pratyush Mishra; Alex Ozdemir; Yuxiang Qiu; Alireza Shirzad

Paper 2026/2517

Zippel: A Language, Compiler, Runtime, and Analyzer for ZK Proof Systems

Sebastian Angel

, University of Pennsylvania

Sydnie-Shea Cohen, University of Pennsylvania

Eleftherios Ioannidis, Microsoft Research

Pratyush Mishra, University of Pennsylvania

Alex Ozdemir, Georgia Institute of Technology

Yuxiang Qiu, University of Pennsylvania

Alireza Shirzad, University of Pennsylvania

Abstract

This paper introduces Zippel, a language, compiler, runtime, and analyzer for cryptographic proof systems. Zippel lets developers write proof systems with ease using syntax that mimics pseudocode in cryptography papers. It also eliminates entire classes of vulnerabilities by construction owing to its type system and runtime. For example, Zippel automatically synchronizes protocol transcripts and correctly applies the Fiat--Shamir transform. Zippel also has fully automated static analyses that confirm whether a protocol is complete and sound given only the protocol's description. We have implemented 35 proof systems in Zippel including Sumcheck, Schnorr, KZG, Groth16, Bulletproofs, Hyrax, Spartan, Dory, HyperPlonk, DeKART, and Pari. Our evaluation shows that Zippel programs are competitive with hand-written implementations on multi-core hardware, so Zippel's security and implementation benefits do not come at high cost.

Note: This version includes 4 appendices that cover the Rust harness for Zippel programs, the full Syntax of Zippel, how recursion works, and how to generalize our special soundness analysis.

Metadata

Available format(s): PDF
Category: Cryptographic protocols
Publication info: Published elsewhere. Minor revision. IEEE S&P 2027
Keywords: Zero-knowledge proofs Succinct arguments ZK Compilers ZK DSL
Contact author(s): sebastian angel @ cis upenn edu
eioannidis @ microsoft com
prat @ seas upenn edu
aozdemir @ gatech edu
yuxqiu @ proton me
alrshir @ seas upenn edu
History: 2026-10-17: approved; 2026-10-16: received; See all versions
Short URL: https://ia.cr/2026/2517
License: CC BY

BibTeX

@misc{cryptoeprint:2026/2517,
      author = {Sebastian Angel and Sydnie-Shea Cohen and Eleftherios Ioannidis and Pratyush Mishra and Alex Ozdemir and Yuxiang Qiu and Alireza Shirzad},
      title = {Zippel: A Language, Compiler, Runtime, and Analyzer for {ZK} Proof Systems},
      howpublished = {Cryptology {ePrint} Archive, Paper 2026/2517},
      year = {2026},
      url = {https://eprint.iacr.org/2026/2517}
}