Starknet’s Cairo-native execution: myths versus facts
Starknet maintains 800 million STRK staked, representing over 19% of the circulating supply. The network utilizes the Cairo programming language to achieve high throughput and lower transaction costs while integrating Bitcoin through a dual-token consensus model.
Starknet maintains a total of 800 million STRK staked on the network, which represents over 19% of the circulating supply. This amount grew by 120% since Q2. The network also holds 659 BTC in staking, bringing the total value staked to over $150 million.
Cairo and the performance trade-off
Starknet uses the Cairo programming language for its infrastructure and contracts. Developers must write or compile to Cairo, which creates a steeper learning curve than Ethereum-equivalent chains. This custom execution environment results in lower transaction costs and higher theoretical throughput. The S-two prover produces validity proofs up to ten times faster than its predecessor. This deployment increases throughput and reduces verification costs.
The network handles over 2,600 transactions per second at peak capacity. It also processed 273 UOPS over an entire day. You should remember that developers face a different experience when they use Cairo compared to Solidity.
| Metric | Starknet | Polygon zkEVM |
|---|---|---|
| Proving System | zk-STARKs | zk-SNARKs |
| Native Language | Cairo | Solidity, Vyper |
| Avg. L2 Cost | $0.10 – $0.50 | $0.01 – $0.10 |
| Finality (L1) | ~4-6 hours | ~15-20 minutes |
The v0.14.0 upgrade, known as Grinta, introduced three sequencers using Tendermint consensus with a 1/2 threshold. These sequencers currently run through StarkWare. While this move improves decentralization, the reliance on a single entity for sequencing remains a bottleneck for full censorship resistance.
Bitcoin integration and staking mechanics
Starknet operates a dual-token consensus model where STRK accounts for 75% and BTC accounts for 25% of network security. Bitcoiners stake BTC to secure the network and earn STRK rewards. As more STRK is staked, Bitcoiners receive a larger portion of the fixed 25% of total STRK emissions. Inflation stays around 1% when 800 million STRK are staked. If users stake 1.6 billion STRK, inflation reaches 1.4%.
The BTCFi ecosystem includes several specialized protocols.
- Ekubo provides BTC liquidity.
- Vesu and Opus handle lending.
- Uncap launched the first stablecoin fully backed by Bitcoin.
- Spline Finance runs BTC-powered stablepools.
Starknet reduced the unstaking period from 21 days to 7 days. This change allows users to access liquid assets in one week. Will the current influx of BTC maintain these yield levels? Users can use AVNU to pay gas fees with wrapped BTC tokens.
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