Home > Tooling & Applications > Noir
Noir¶
Description¶
A Rust-like domain-specific language for writing ZKP circuits. Compiles to ACIR, which is then proved by a backend (default: Barretenberg). Designed for developer ergonomics — no PhD required. Very actively maintained by Aztec Protocol but moves fast and has frequent breaking changes.
Evaluation¶
| Criterion | Value |
|---|---|
| Based on | ACIR + Barretenberg (UltraHonk) |
| Easiness | easy |
| Fast and short (<1s, <1MB) | yes |
| Post-quantum | no (Barretenberg is pairing-based) |
| Mobile and web | possible (libraries for older versions exist; not tested by C4DT) |
| Maintained | yes — very active, but moves a lot |
| Open source | yes |
| Security review | no |
| secp256k1 signature + sha256 | yes |
Notes¶
Very complex internally — implements a full compiler pipeline with optimizations. Potential for bugs. More trusted alternatives (e.g., Circom) exist for stability. The mobile/web story relies on third-party WASM builds.
Based on¶
Resources¶
- Docs: Noir-Docs
- Blog: