# risc0/risc0

RISC Zero is a zero-knowledge verifiable general computing platform based on zk-STARKs and the RISC-V microarchitecture.

Repository: https://github.com/risc0/risc0
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/risc0
Homepage: https://risczero.com
Language: C++
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: stark, zero-knowledge, virtual-machine, risc-v, cryptography, rust
Last push: 2026-07-20T17:42:07+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 94/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 93, release rhythm 93, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1656, "days_push": 44, "days_rel": 47, "gap_med": 14, "n_releases_24m": 24}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2179, forks 731 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:23.020476+00:00)

## What it is
RISC Zero is a zero-knowledge verifiable general computing platform built on zk-STARKs and a RISC-V-based zkVM. It lets developers prove that code executed correctly without revealing inputs, producing verifiable receipts for arbitrary Rust, C, or C++ programs.

## Use cases
- prove a computation ran correctly without revealing its inputs
- generate zero-knowledge proofs for arbitrary Rust programs
- verify off-chain computation results on-chain
- build privacy-preserving blockchain applications with zk-STARKs
- create verifiable receipts for financial transaction processing
- run verifiable general-purpose compute in a RISC-V virtual machine

## When to choose
- you need general-purpose zero-knowledge proofs for arbitrary code rather than hand-written circuits
- your team knows Rust, C, or C++ and wants to write zk-provable programs in a normal language
- you need verifiable off-chain computation with on-chain verification
- you want a zkVM based on the RISC-V ISA with STARK-based proofs

## When to avoid
- you need lightweight SNARKs with minimal proof size and fast verification over small statements
- you only need simple signature or membership proofs that specialized zk tools handle more cheaply
- you cannot tolerate the overhead of proving RISC-V execution cycles
- you need a no-code or DSL-only zk proof workflow

## Facets
- artifact type: framework
- maturity: active
- function: cryptography, sdk, simulation, compiler
- domain: blockchain, security, developer-tools
- platform: rust, cpp, cross-platform, cli
- tags: zero-knowledge, zkvm, zk-starks, risc-v, verifiable-computation, proof-system, cryptography

## Member repositories
- risc0/risc0 (main) score 94

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:23.020476+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:48:46.755555+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/risc0/risc0 (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:23.020476+00:00, sha b2f277558327)
  - homepage: https://risczero.com (fetched 2026-08-29T10:28:39.829548+00:00, sha f6df455b7de3)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.