getting-started.md

Getting Started with zkDB

Prerequisites

• Rust and Cargo (latest stable version)
• SP1 zkVM toolchain

Setting up SP1

Before building the zkDB project, you need to set up the SP1 zkVM toolchain. Follow these steps:

1. Install the required dependencies:

   • Git
   • Rust (Nightly)
   • Docker

2. Install SP1 using the prebuilt binaries (recommended):

   curl -L https://sp1.succinct.xyz | bash
   

   Follow the on-screen instructions to make the sp1up command available in your CLI.

3. Run sp1up to install the toolchain and the cargo prove CLI:

   sp1up
   

   This will install:

   • The succinct Rust toolchain with support for the riscv32im-succinct-zkvm-elf compilation target.
   • The cargo prove CLI tool for compiling SP1 programs and other helper functionality.

4. Verify the installation:

   cargo prove --version
   RUSTUP_TOOLCHAIN=succinct cargo --version
   

For more detailed instructions or troubleshooting, refer to the official SP1 installation guide.

Building the Project

1. Clone the repository and navigate to the project directory:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd zkdb
   

2. Build the project in release mode:

   cargo build --release
   

   Note: It's crucial to use the --release flag when building, as sp1-sdk must be built in release mode.

Project Structure

• src/main.rs: Contains the main zkVM program logic for Merkle tree operations.
• src/bin/merkle.rs: Implements the command-line interface for interacting with the zkVM program.
• tests/integration_tests.rs: Contains integration tests for the zkVM program.
• script/merkle_state.txt: Stores the current state of the Merkle tree.
• .env.example: Example environment variables configuration.

Running Tests

To run the integration tests:

cargo test

This will execute the tests defined in tests/integration_tests.rs.