Performance Analysis of Groth16 zkSNARK: Systematic Benchmarking with Circom-snarkjs
Keywords:
zero-knowledge proofs, zk-SNARK, Groth16, performance benchmarking, Circom, cryptographic protocols, privacy-preserving computationAbstract
Zero-knowledge succinct non-interactive arguments of knowledge (zk-SNARKs) have emerged as a critical technology for privacy-preserving computation and blockchain applications. However, systematic performance analysis of practical implementations remains limited, hindering informed technology adoption decisions. This study presents a comprehensive benchmarking analysis of the Groth16 protocol implementation using the widely-adopted Circom-snarkjs framework. We developed an automated benchmarking platform that systematically measures performance across seven representative circuit types with varying computational complexity (1-11 R1CS constraints). Our methodology ensures reproducible measurements through controlled experimental design with statistical validation. The platform captures detailed metrics for all three phases of the Groth16 protocol: witness generation, proof creation, and verification. Results from 35 independent measurements reveal several important findings. Witness generation demonstrates consistent performance across circuit types, averaging 57.6±12.1 milliseconds. Proof generation times range from 832 to 1,147 milliseconds, showing non-linear scaling with circuit complexity. Verification times remain relatively stable (741-884 milliseconds), confirming Groth16's theoretical constant-time verification advantage. All measurements achieved 100% success rate with complete proof validation. Notably, circuit structure significantly impacts performance beyond simple constraint counting. Comparison-based circuits achieve 13.22 constraints per second efficiency, substantially outperforming arithmetic circuits (1.02-4.36 constraints/second). This finding provides actionable guidance for circuit design optimization. The study contributes an open-source benchmarking framework for reproducible zk-SNARK research and provides empirical performance data for technology adoption decisions. Our findings support the practical deployment of Groth16 for applications requiring efficient zero-knowledge proofs while highlighting optimization opportunities for circuit designers.
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