Aztec vs
Zama

The litepaper describes 18 initial operators, 13 key-management nodes and five coprocessors, selected by reputation, alongside the host chain. Any one of them can pause the protocol in an emergency.

Permissionless sequencers and provers run the network. Upgrades follow public governance rules with a timelock. L2BEAT assesses the rollup at Stage 2.

Values are encrypted under a network key. A two-thirds threshold of the key-management operators can decrypt, which is what contract-level access rules rely on.

Private functions execute on the user's device and the network verifies a proof. There is no network-wide decryption key, no validator that re-executes private inputs, and no co-signer. Public calls and their inputs are visible by design.

Solidity contracts compute on encrypted values and define who may decrypt them, with off-chain coprocessors doing the work.

Noir contracts combine private state and functions with public ones, and anyone can deploy them. Contracts compose on Aztec and reach Ethereum through L1/L2 messaging.

Builders can deploy confidential Solidity apps on a supported chain, free and without permission. Users can hold, send, and decrypt the values an app grants them. Running a key-management node or coprocessor is limited to selected operators.

Anyone can deploy contracts or participate as a sequencer or prover under the published protocol, staking, and hardware requirements.

Contract-defined access control. An application lists who may decrypt each value, and the key-management service decrypts only for them. Any operator can also blacklist sanctioned addresses.

Selective disclosure at the application and user level. An application decides which facts it proves or publishes, and a user can share their own viewing keys with whoever they choose. No protocol-wide audit key, screening gate, or operator sits in the path of a transaction.