Understanding zkSync: A Comprehensive Guide to Airdrop Opportunities

Last week, Rubic.exchange successfully integrated zkSync Era alongside with Symbiosis and Multichain as Providers, making it the fifth Layer 2 (L2) network and the first zk-rollup solution to be integrated into Rubic's ecosystem amongst 40+ other networks!

https://twitter.com/CryptoRubic/status/1644686232792842240?s=20&embedable=true

Airdrops are on fire these days! With projects like Aptos, Arbitrum, and other big players offering generous airdrops, they have certainly caught the attention of many in the crypto community. One particular airdrop that has started to make waves for some time now is the zkSync airdrop. People have been buzzing about the potential opportunities that could arise from zkSync, and it's definitely something worth exploring.

Disclaimer: This Article Does Not Provide Financial Advice and is for Educational Purposes Only. Please Conduct Your Own Research.

Understanding zkSync

zkSync is a trustless protocol built by Matter Labs for scalable, low-cost payments on Ethereum, powered by zk-rollup technology. It offers low gas fees, high security and speeds, censorship resistance, and seamless asset transfers.

Unlike zkSync Lite, zkSync Era aims to achieve nearly full Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility in its zk-friendly custom virtual machine. One of the remarkable features of zkSync Era is its implementation of the standard Web3 API, which enables developers to seamlessly interact with the platform using familiar tools and methodologies. Additionally, zkSync Era preserves key EVM features, such as smart contract composability, which allows for seamless integration with existing Ethereum-based applications.

zkSync, a heavily-backed project in the crypto space, has raised over $450 million from notable investors like a16z, Dragonfly, and Lightspeed.

For those interested in Layer 2 scaling solutions and zk-rollups, you can read more about them in our previous article dedicated to exploring these innovative technologies. The integration of zkSync Era into Rubic.exchange opens up new possibilities for users to swap across zkSyncEra and other 20+ EVM networks supported by Rubic.

If you hit it or missed with the $ARB airdrop, then zkSync could be your next big airdrop opportunity. In this guide, we will cover everything you need to know about the zkSync ecosystem.

Reasons to Believe in the zkSync Airdrop

Let’s explore the roadmap followed by zkSync Era, drawing parallels from Arbitrum's early days, and discuss the potential benefits of token incentives for increasing network traction, volume, hype, and awareness.

There are strong reasons to believe that zkSync may offer an airdrop in the future. The Layer 2 space in the crypto industry is highly competitive, with each new project vying for a share of the market. Token incentives have proven to be an effective way to attract users and generate network traction, volume, hype, and awareness. Fortunately, zkSync Era has the advantage of being able to assess the effectiveness of airdrops strategies from other projects like Optimism and Arbitrum. By learning from their successes and failures, zkSync Era can optimize their own token launch tactics.

Regarding the zkSync token, Matter Labs’ CEO Alex Gluchowski stated that "there are no plans to launch a token for now." He added that "the team is focused on today's launch and further development of the protocol" and that "a token only comes into play with decentralizing the network." However, their roadmap explicitly mentioned tokenomics at some point, so it’s clear that such a token can be forthcoming.

Alex Gluchowski expects the sequencer to be decentralized in around a year's time, which could be a potential timeframe for a token launch, following a similar roadmap as Arbitrum. Arbitrum’s roadmap also had a focus on development, attracting developers and users, while eventually launching a token once the network gains more traction and hype.

If the zkSync token does launch in approximately 12 months, there may still be ample time to qualify for a potential airdrop.

zkSync Era Ecosystem: Potential Airdrop Opportunities

We have thoroughly analyzed the zkSync Era ecosystem and its live projects, and have discovered some universal steps to qualify for the potential future airdrops as such.

To discover projects that are currently active on zkSync Era, check zkSync Ecosystem hub or DefiLlama. They provide an easy way to determine which applications are live on zkSync.

However, because zkSync Era was launched just recently, on March 24th, 2023, there is only a limited number of applications that are live, primarily consisting of bridges (and still doesn’t list all of them to date - for example, https://app.symbiosis.finance/). By the way, we’ve recently applied to be included in the ecosystem hub with our project, too. Meet Rubic there soon!

In order to start with zkSync, you will require the following:

A wallet: With zkSyncEra, you can use any EVM-compatible wallet, such as MetaMask or Argent, which are friendly to both zkSync versions.

https://era.zksync.io/docs/dev/fundamentals/interacting.html#connecting-to-zksync-era-on-metamask

Starter ETH: Similar to needing ETH for gas on Ethereum, you will also need ETH to cover transaction fees on zkSync. If you already have ETH on Ethereum, you can transfer some to zkSync at https://app.rubic.exchange/?fromChain=ETH&toChain=ZK_SYNC&from=ETH&to=ETH.

To potentially qualify for a zkSync airdrop on the zkSync Era Mainnet, these are the steps being referred to:

Bridge funds to zkSync using the official zkSync bridge http://bridge.zksync.io. You will need $ETH on the Ethereum network to bridge funds across. Using other live bridges to zkSyncEra may also qualify.
Use SyncSwap. Users can swap between $ETH and $USDC and provide liquidity into their pools.
Use mute.io, which is planned to be integrated into Rubic, too. For example, users can swap from $ETH into a token of their choice and provide liquidity into their pools.
Mint and buy, or list, an NFT on MintSquareNFT by going to http://mintsquare.io.
Create a zkSync domain by going to http://app.zkns.domains. Users can enter their desired domain name and register for a .zk domain.
Use the Orbiter Finance lending platform, bridge your $ETH to the Mainnet and back.
Complete the zkSync crew3 tasks. You can view the questboard here: http://crew3.xyz/c/zksync/questboard.
Donate to zkSync projects on Gitcoin. In addition to the previously mentioned steps, you could consider taking advantage of additional opportunities or strategies to further boost your eligibility for a potential airdrop

Comparing Airdrop Requirements for zkSync and Arbitrum: A Closer Look

We can potentially extract valuable insights from the airdrop requirements of the Arbitrum Airdrop to ensure that we cover all the necessary tasks. Here is the complete list of requirements for the latest $ARB airdrop:

Bridged funds into Arbitrum One
Conducted transactions during 2, 6, or 9 distinct months
Conducted more than 4, 10, 25, or 100 transactions or interacted with more than 4, 10, 25, or 100 different smart contracts
Conducted transactions exceeding in the aggregate from $10,000 to $250,000 in value
Deposited from more than $10,000 to $250,000 of liquidity into Arbitrum

As evident, there were four significant actions that were tiered, with a focus on Bridging, Transacting, Interacting with smart contracts, and Depositing liquidity.

Additionally, there were also a few requirements for Nova (which could be considered the equivalent of zkSync Lite, however, it’s an older version of zkSync whereas Nova is a newer version of Arbitrum):

Bridged funds into Arbitrum Nova
Conducted more than 3.5 or 10 transactions

Thus, it is still possible to engage in interactions on the Lite network to potentially increase your chances of receiving an airdrop. However, it should be noted that this is an additional opportunity, and it is advisable to primarily focus on Era for the best chances of qualifying for an airdrop.

It's important to note that following these steps or any other airdrop guide does not guarantee an airdrop, as the specific requirements for the airdrop are not known and can only be speculated on from available information. Users should not risk funds they cannot afford to lose.

*This Article is Not Intended as Financial Advice and is for Educational Purposes Only. Please Do Your Own Research.