Your Three-Step Guide to Using Polygon zkEVM—Yes, It’s That Easy

Last week, Polygon announced the public testnet release of Polygon zkEVM, a benchmarking Zero Knowledge rollup. Polygon zkEVM is the first such L2 scalability solution with completely source-available code  and equivalence with the Ethereum Virtual Machine. You can already watch in real time as transactions are processed on the public testnet. This is a pivotal moment for Polygon. We want the zkEVM to be used and battle-tested ahead of an expected release to the Ethereum Mainnet in Q1 2023. For that, we need you.

To that end, Polygon launched Polygon University in parallel with the zkEVM. This is our for-devs-by-devs resource for anyone interested in building on Ethereum. We’ll have a more thorough breakdown of Polygon University in the coming days. Until then, here’s your three-step guide to connecting to Polygon zkEVM. Because while we’ve made this tool exceedingly simple to deploy, the complexity of what it can do will be determined by you. 

1. Connect to zkEVM using MetaMask

To add Polygon zkEVM network to your MetaMask wallet, go to your Network Selection drop down menu, click Add Network and enter the following:

• Network Name: Polygon zkEVM Testnet
• https://public.zkevm-test.net 
• RPC URL: https://rpc.public.zkevm-test.net 
• Chain ID: 1442
• Currency symbol: ETH
• Bridge UI: https://public.zkevm-test.net 
• Block explorer URL: https://explorer.public.zkevm-test.net
• ‍L1 Goerli Smart Contract: 0xa997cfD539E703921fD1e3Cf25b4c241a27a4c7A

Pro-tip: If you don’t see the testnet, click show/hide test networks in the Network Selection drop down menu to make sure that option is toggled on. 

2. Deploy a Smart Contract to the zkEVM

Because any tool that works on Ethereum also works with Polygon zkEVM, you can deploy a smart contract to the testnet using your preferred scripting tool. Your basic RPC set-up will be the same. (Only cheaper and faster.) 

1. Select the standard smart contract you’d like to deploy. 
2. In the Environment field, select Injected Provider - MetaMask. 
3. Hit deploy.

Pro-tip: To deploy a smart contract or run a transaction, you may need to bridge assets from the Goerli testnet. You can do so using the following URL: 

• Bridge: https://public.zkevm-test.net/login

3. Create and View a Transaction Using the Block Explorer

Using Remix or your preferred Ethereum scripting tool, perform the following: 

1. Select a smart contract with a deposit function.
2. Input the amount and select the symbol of the token you’d like to deposit.
3. Click deposit and authorize the transaction. (Seriously, that’s it.)

Pro-tip: As the testnet moves from beta to the Mainnet, there will likely be a delay before your transaction becomes available. If you don’t immediately see your tx on the Block Explorer, know that it’s being indexed. And even during indexing, your transactions and smart contracts will always be viewable from the testnet URL. 

Conclusion

In our mission to bring the world to Ethereum, one of the goals is to create tools that are exceedingly easy to use. Polygon zkEVM and Polygon University are about putting the best tools in capable hands. Wherever you are in your Web3 development, Polygon has the communities and resources you need—join us on Discord, Telegram, and, coming soon, Polygon University.

Keep up with the latest on the Polygon ecosystem on our blog.

Let’s bring the world to Ethereum!

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