# Introducing Polaris

> Welcome Polaris, representing innovation and progress, unveiling new possibilities in blockchain.

Canonical: https://aztec.network/blog/introducing-polaris  
Type: Article  
Reviewed: 19 October 2026  
Publisher: Aztec Foundation

Published: 29 January 2021  
Category: Aztec Network

> **Historical article.** This post announces the Polaris licence for Aztec's early rollup code. Aztec's code was subsequently open-sourced under standard licences in 2021. For current licensing, see https://github.com/AztecProtocol

*Polaris v1.0, the “Faithful Prover” Rollup Licence*

## TL;DR

- Today we’re releasing a new licence template for prover-verifier software, called Polaris — a “faithful prover” licence for rollup code
- In a continuation of Aztec’s mission to innovate,**Polaris is an important experiment in how to release novel, transparent code, under a prover-verifier paradigm**
- It could be used either in perpetuity or for a fixed time period, **with or without a token-based governance model, whilst crypto-engineering projects are in their infancy**
- Polaris leaves ecosystem developers free to do what they like with prover code — the only proviso is, proofs eventually return to a particular verifier or set of verifiers, which will often have decentralised governance and be irrevocable

## A Collaborative Experiment

We were pleased to [collaborate on this](https://medium.com/p/aba912de9ea4/) with our friends at [StarkWare](https://starkware.co/), well-known as the inventors of ZK-STARK cryptography. Leading expert [Heather Meeker](https://heathermeeker.com/) from O’Melveny drafted on behalf of StarkWare, with review from our own counsel.

## Where’s the Licence?

The template licence for Polaris v1.0 is [here](https://github.com/AztecProtocol/polaris/blob/main/v1.0%20POLARIS.pdf), and is free to use by the community.

## Polaris in our Licence Stack

In our vision for Polaris, the license would attach to *rollup code* only, sandwiched between MIT licences.As a reminder, private rollup technology comprises:

- 1) Verifier | mainnet smart contract
- 2) Rollup Prover | aggregator
- 3) Privacy Prover | private transactions
- 4) Escape Hatch Prover | withdrawal proofs

Here’s how Polaris could fit into the licence stack:

- 1) Verifier Code | **MIT**
- 2) Rollup Prover Code | **Polaris**
- 3) Privacy Prover Code | **MIT**
- 4) Escape Hatch Prover Code | **MIT**

## What’s the Motivation?

We are exploring ways to build technology in the open air. The goal is to:

- Build **open, transparent, permissionless networks**
- **Protect the network in the early months of its life** from code-cloning, enabling us to continue highly experimental research and development
- To achieve this whilst **eliminating all platform risk from L2s**

## What is Polaris, in a Nutshell?

Gone are the concepts of ‘commercial’ vs ‘non-commercial’ licensing which is no longer relevant to the new world of decentralised networks.

Instead, prover code can be used and modified freely — the only proviso is that if proofs are verified on a blockchain, they are verified by an (e.g.) Aztec / StarkWare smart contract.

In Polaris, we’ve got a licence that is:

1. **Succinct** | one-pager, easy-to-read
2. **Modular** | applies to the prover code only
3. **Faithful** | to a validator (or list of validators), not a company
4. **Immutable** | so the service can never be revoked

## What’s Wrong with GPL?

Weak-copyleft licences like GPL are too restrictive, enforcing unwelcome strictures on third-party software.

Used correctly, Polaris is a mechanism to protect transparent prover-verifier networks, whilst they’re still consuming enormous resources on research and development.

## Finally — why the name, ‘Polaris’?

‘Polaris’ recalls the era of navigation by the stars — the ship (prover code) sails freely, but always, ultimately, refers back to the constant of the North Star — in this case, the verifier smart contract at the heart of a rollup system.

## Get in Touch!

If you have any questions or comments, please message us at tom [at] aztecprotocol.com, or else by joining one of our community channels below:

## Join our Community

- [Discord](https://discord.gg/FpEuyWr)
- [Telegram Announcements](https://t.me/aztecprotocol)
- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/aztecprotocol)

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Markdown representation of https://aztec.network/blog/introducing-polaris. Published by Aztec Foundation.