Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) are a long-standing family of probabilistic protocols that have been receiving increased attention in recent years in the context of blockchain-based DApps. ZKPs allow to perform a computation off-chain (on blockchain-external resources) but to verify proofs of computation on-chain (in smart contracts). The on-chain verification of computations only incurs a fraction of the cost compared to running the actual computations on all nodes of the blockchain network. Using verifiable off-chain computations also enhances privacy, as not all information needed for a computation must be shared in the network but remains confidential and external to the blockchain network. Still, knowledge about the computation is being manifested in the network with all the desired properties that the blockchain introduces. Among the early adopters of ZKPs and zkSNARKS, the most widely used ZKPs, are the cryptocurrency Zcash and leading consultancies like EY. Global standardization activities for ZKPs exist, and first developer-friendly tools like ZoKrates that help to use verifiable computations in DApps are available.

In this special session at IEEE DAPPS, we take a DApp perspective on verifiable off-chain computations and call for contributions in the form of (technical, vision, position) papers, best-practice reports and demos. The focus of this special session is explicitly not on the cryptographic challenges in bringing ZKPs to mainstream adoption or on respective cryptographic primitives, but on the DApp engineering, application identification, and usage aspects of verifiable off-chain computations. The session will consist of a “mini-tutorial” for the ZoKrates toolbox and high-quality paper and demo presentations of using verifiable off-chain computations in practice.

The aim of this session is to carry the momentum and curiosity that exists with using ZKPs in DApp development and to create and to bring together an application-oriented community of academics and practitioners. The goal of this inaugural special session at IEEE DApps is to establish a common understanding of the engineering aspects of using ZKPs in practice, first by exploring the use of tools like ZoKrates and by sharing results as well as open issues when applying ZKPs. The session promotes and facilitates the collaboration between academics and industry experts that are interested in creating innovative and practical DApp solutions.

All papers must be original and not simultaneously submitted to another journal or conference.

Two different types of papers can be submitted:

- Regular papers (10 pages IEEE double-column format)
- Short papers (6 pages IEEE double-column format)

Regular papers should describe novel and previously unpublished scientific contributions to the field of dApps and decentralized infrastructures. Each regular paper is limited to 10 pages, including tables, figures and references.