Coin columns · Mainnet Province
Starknet and STRK: A Proof-Based Layer 2 for Ethereum
StarkWare’s STARK-proof rollup and its native token
Starknet is a layer-2 blockchain that batches transactions and sends Ethereum only a proof that they are correct, and STRK is its own token for fees, staking and governance. StarkWare launched the network in November 2021, and the token launched by airdrop in February 2024.
1. Built by StarkWare to scale Ethereum
Starknet was created by StarkWare, a company founded in Israel in 2018. A layer 2 is a chain on top of Ethereum that processes transactions more cheaply while relying on Ethereum for security.
Ten billion STRK were created at the start, and they began trading widely after the February 2024 airdrop. On the Crypto Nation map, STRK is the city-hall tower of the Starknet district in Mainnet Province, because it is the chain’s own coin.
2. STARK proofs and the Cairo language
Starknet runs many transactions together, then produces a STARK proof, a compact mathematical proof that the results are correct, and posts it to Ethereum. Ethereum checks the proof instead of redoing every transaction, which lowers costs. This design is called a ZK rollup; Starknet by default uses StarkWare’s Cairo language, not the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).
Since version 0.14.0 on 1 September 2025, fees can be paid only in STRK; validators lock STRK (staking) and help confirm blocks to earn rewards; and major upgrades to the core software need token-holder approval. Staking rewards come from newly minted STRK, following a schedule set with the community.
3. From staking to privacy
STRK staking began in November 2024; a second phase in June 2025 added block confirmation and adjustable validator commissions. Version 0.14.0 in September 2025 introduced three rotating sequencers (the roles that order transactions and build blocks). Bitcoin staking followed in late October, and in November the S-two prover (software that generates proofs) joined the live network.
In April 2026, version 0.14.2 added direct proof verification inside smart contracts (SNIP-36), the base for privacy features, along with changes to fees and storage costs (SNIP-37). Mid-May brought strkBTC, a Bitcoin-linked asset with public and shielded modes, and a June report describes STRK20, a standard giving existing tokens private balances, rolling out across DeFi.
4. Things to know
Decentralization is still in progress. Even after the three sequencers arrived, Starknet’s own 2025 review said StarkWare ran all of them, and decentralizing block validation remains on the 2026 roadmap. Total supply is not fixed because staking rewards are newly minted, and a schedule that gradually unlocks locked tokens runs until March 2027.
Because Starknet by default uses Cairo, developers must learn a new language, and it competes with other Ethereum layer 2s. It depends on Ethereum for security and data, so problems there can affect it. As privacy features expand, regulatory debate over privacy tools in different countries could also matter.
Written from information public up to October 2026. It does not recommend or rate any coin and is not investment advice. If something is wrong, please tell us through the contact page.