Polygon Ecosystem Development

Build on Polygon's multi-chain ecosystem: PoS sidechain for low-cost EVM transactions, zkEVM for Ethereum-equivalent ZK rollups, and AggLayer for unified cross-chain interop.

What You Probably Got Wrong

1. Polygon PoS is not an L2 -- it is a commit chain (sidechain) with its own validator set that checkpoints to Ethereum. It does NOT inherit Ethereum security for individual transactions.
2. MATIC is being replaced by POL -- POL (0x455e53CBB86018Ac2B8092FdCd39d8444aFFC3F6 on Ethereum) is the new native gas and staking token. MATIC holders must migrate via the migration contract.
3. zkEVM and PoS are completely different chains -- different chain IDs, different RPCs, different bridge contracts. Code that works on PoS does not automatically work on zkEVM without verifying opcode compatibility.
4. zkEVM finality depends on proof generation -- transactions are "trusted" quickly but only final on Ethereum after a ZK proof is submitted and verified (~30 min to hours).
5. Gas on PoS uses POL (formerly MATIC), gas on zkEVM uses ETH -- do not confuse the native gas tokens between chains.

Quick Start

Install Dependencies

# viem for TypeScript interaction
npm install viem
 
# Foundry for Solidity deployment
curl -L https://foundry.paradigm.xyz | bash
foundryup

Environment Setup

# .env
PRIVATE_KEY=your_private_key_here
POLYGONSCAN_API_KEY=your_polygonscan_key
POLYGON_RPC_URL=https://polygon-rpc.com
ZKEVM_RPC_URL=https://zkevm-rpc.com

Chain Configuration

Polygon PoS

RPC Endpoints (PoS Mainnet)

Block Explorers (PoS)

Polygon zkEVM

RPC Endpoints (zkEVM Mainnet)

Block Explorers (zkEVM)

Testnets

Testnet RPCs

Deployment

Foundry (Polygon PoS)

# Deploy to Polygon PoS mainnet
forge create src/MyContract.sol:MyContract \
  --rpc-url https://polygon-rpc.com \
  --private-key $PRIVATE_KEY \
  --broadcast \
  --verify \
  --verifier-url https://api.polygonscan.com/api \
  --etherscan-api-key $POLYGONSCAN_API_KEY
 
# Deploy to Amoy testnet
forge create src/MyContract.sol:MyContract \
  --rpc-url https://rpc-amoy.polygon.technology \
  --private-key $PRIVATE_KEY \
  --broadcast \
  --verify \
  --verifier-url https://api-amoy.polygonscan.com/api \
  --etherscan-api-key $POLYGONSCAN_API_KEY

Foundry (Polygon zkEVM)

# Deploy to zkEVM mainnet
forge create src/MyContract.sol:MyContract \
  --rpc-url https://zkevm-rpc.com \
  --private-key $PRIVATE_KEY \
  --broadcast \
  --verify \
  --verifier-url https://api-zkevm.polygonscan.com/api \
  --etherscan-api-key $POLYGONSCAN_API_KEY

Hardhat Configuration

// hardhat.config.ts
import { HardhatUserConfig } from "hardhat/config";
import "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-toolbox";
 
const config: HardhatUserConfig = {
  solidity: "0.8.24",
  networks: {
    polygon: {
      url: process.env.POLYGON_RPC_URL || "https://polygon-rpc.com",
      accounts: [process.env.PRIVATE_KEY!],
      chainId: 137,
    },
    amoy: {
      url: "https://rpc-amoy.polygon.technology",
      accounts: [process.env.PRIVATE_KEY!],
      chainId: 80002,
    },
    zkevm: {
      url: process.env.ZKEVM_RPC_URL || "https://zkevm-rpc.com",
      accounts: [process.env.PRIVATE_KEY!],
      chainId: 1101,
    },
    cardona: {
      url: "https://rpc.cardona.zkevm-rpc.com",
      accounts: [process.env.PRIVATE_KEY!],
      chainId: 2442,
    },
  },
  etherscan: {
    apiKey: {
      polygon: process.env.POLYGONSCAN_API_KEY!,
      polygonAmoy: process.env.POLYGONSCAN_API_KEY!,
      polygonZkEVM: process.env.POLYGONSCAN_API_KEY!,
    },
  },
};
 
export default config;

Verification

# Verify on Polygonscan (PoS)
forge verify-contract <ADDRESS> src/MyContract.sol:MyContract \
  --chain-id 137 \
  --verifier-url https://api.polygonscan.com/api \
  --etherscan-api-key $POLYGONSCAN_API_KEY
 
# Verify on zkEVM explorer
forge verify-contract <ADDRESS> src/MyContract.sol:MyContract \
  --chain-id 1101 \
  --verifier-url https://api-zkevm.polygonscan.com/api \
  --etherscan-api-key $POLYGONSCAN_API_KEY

Polygon PoS Architecture

Polygon PoS is a commit chain (sidechain) with its own validator set:

• Bor: Block production layer (modified Geth). Validators take turns producing blocks in "spans" (~6400 blocks).
• Heimdall: Consensus and checkpoint layer (Tendermint BFT). Selects block producers, validates blocks, and submits checkpoints to Ethereum.
• Checkpoints: State roots submitted to Ethereum RootChain contract every ~30 minutes. This provides data availability, NOT execution validity.
• Validator Set: ~100 validators with POL staking. Delegators can stake via ValidatorShare contracts.

PoS Key Contracts (Ethereum L1)

Last verified: 2025-12-01

PoS Key Contracts (Polygon Chain)

Last verified: 2025-12-01

Polygon zkEVM

Polygon zkEVM is a Type-2 ZK-EVM rollup. It aims for full EVM equivalence, meaning standard Solidity contracts deploy without modification in most cases.

How It Works

1. Sequencer receives transactions and produces L2 batches.
2. Aggregator generates ZK proofs for batches.
3. Proofs are verified on Ethereum via the PolygonZkEVM contract.
4. State transitions become final on L1 once proof is accepted (~30 min to hours).

Transaction States on zkEVM

EVM Compatibility Notes

zkEVM targets full EVM equivalence but some edge cases differ:

• DIFFICULTY / PREVRANDAO opcode returns 0 (no randomness source like Ethereum beacon chain)
• SELFDESTRUCT is disabled (per EIP-6049 deprecation)
• Precompiled contracts: ecAdd, ecMul, ecPairing behave identically; modexp may have higher gas costs
• BLOCKHASH only returns hashes for the last 256 blocks (same as Ethereum spec, but be aware proof timing may affect behavior)
• Gas costs for some operations differ slightly due to proof generation overhead

zkEVM Gas Model

Gas on zkEVM is paid in ETH. The cost includes:

• L2 execution gas: Similar to Ethereum gas pricing
• L1 data availability cost: Posting batch data to Ethereum
• Proof overhead: Indirectly amortized across all transactions in a batch

import { createPublicClient, http } from "viem";
import { polygonZkEvm } from "viem/chains";
 
const zkEvmClient = createPublicClient({
  chain: polygonZkEvm,
  transport: http("https://zkevm-rpc.com"),
});
 
const gasPrice = await zkEvmClient.getGasPrice();
const estimatedGas = await zkEvmClient.estimateGas({
  account: "0xYourAddress",
  to: "0xRecipient",
  value: 0n,
  data: "0x...",
});
 
const totalCostWei = gasPrice * estimatedGas;

POL Token

POL replaced MATIC as Polygon's native token via a migration contract on Ethereum.

Migration (MATIC to POL)

The migration is 1:1. Call the migration contract on Ethereum:

import { createWalletClient, http, parseAbi } from "viem";
import { mainnet } from "viem/chains";
 
// Migration contract on Ethereum
// Converts MATIC -> POL at 1:1 ratio
const MIGRATION_CONTRACT = "0x29e7DF7b6c1264C3F63e2E7bB27143EeB8A05fe3" as const;
 
const migrationAbi = parseAbi([
  "function migrate(uint256 amount) external",
  "function unmigrate(uint256 amount) external",
]);
 
const MATIC_TOKEN = "0x7D1AfA7B718fb893dB30A3aBc0Cfc608AaCfeBB0" as const;
const POL_TOKEN = "0x455e53CBB86018Ac2B8092FdCd39d8444aFFC3F6" as const;
 
// Step 1: Approve MATIC spend
// Step 2: Call migrate()

POL Staking

POL is staked on Ethereum via the StakeManager contract. Delegators use ValidatorShare contracts:

import { parseAbi } from "viem";
 
const validatorShareAbi = parseAbi([
  "function buyVoucher(uint256 _amount, uint256 _minSharesToMint) external returns (uint256)",
  "function sellVoucher_new(uint256 claimAmount, uint256 maximumSharesToBurn) external",
  "function restake() external returns (uint256, uint256)",
  "function withdrawRewards() external",
  "function getLiquidRewards(address user) external view returns (uint256)",
  "function getTotalStake(address user) external view returns (uint256, uint256)",
]);

AggLayer

AggLayer (Aggregation Layer) is Polygon's vision for unifying multiple chains under a single ZK-proven interop layer.

Core Concepts

• Unified Bridge: Single bridge contract on Ethereum shared by all AggLayer-connected chains. Each chain gets a unique networkId.
• Pessimistic Proofs: AggLayer validates cross-chain claims using pessimistic proofs -- it assumes the worst case and only releases funds if the proof confirms solvency.
• Chain Interop: Chains connected to AggLayer can transfer assets without going through Ethereum L1 as intermediary. Assets move via the LxLy bridge with AggLayer verification.
• Shared Liquidity: All chains on AggLayer share a unified liquidity pool, reducing fragmentation.

AggLayer Architecture

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   Ethereum                    │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │          Unified Bridge Contract         │  │
│  │  (shared by all AggLayer chains)         │  │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
│         ▲              ▲             ▲         │
│   Proofs│        Proofs│       Proofs│         │
│         │              │             │         │
│  ┌──────┴──────────────┴─────────────┴──────┐ │
│  │              AggLayer                     │ │
│  │   (pessimistic proof verification)        │ │
│  └──────┬──────────────┬─────────────┬──────┘ │
└─────────┼──────────────┼─────────────┼────────┘
          │              │             │
   ┌──────┴──┐    ┌──────┴──┐   ┌─────┴───┐
   │  PoS    │    │  zkEVM  │   │  CDK     │
   │  Chain  │    │  Chain  │   │  Chain   │
   └─────────┘    └─────────┘   └──────────┘

Bridging

PoS Bridge (Polygon PoS <-> Ethereum)

The PoS bridge uses RootChainManager (Ethereum) and ChildChainManager (Polygon PoS).

Deposit (Ethereum -> Polygon PoS):

1. Approve token to RootChainManager's ERC20Predicate
2. Call RootChainManager.depositFor(user, rootToken, depositData)
3. Wait ~7-8 minutes for state sync to Polygon PoS

Withdraw (Polygon PoS -> Ethereum):

1. Burn tokens on Polygon PoS (transfer to 0x0 or call burn function)
2. Wait for checkpoint inclusion (~30 minutes)
3. Call RootChainManager.exit(burnTxProof) on Ethereum

import { createWalletClient, http, parseAbi, encodePacked } from "viem";
import { mainnet, polygon } from "viem/chains";
 
const ROOT_CHAIN_MANAGER = "0xA0c68C638235ee32657e8f720a23ceC1bFc77C77" as const;
const ERC20_PREDICATE = "0x40ec5B33f54e0E8A33A975908C5BA1c14e5BbbDf" as const;
 
const rootChainManagerAbi = parseAbi([
  "function depositFor(address user, address rootToken, bytes calldata depositData) external",
  "function exit(bytes calldata inputData) external",
]);
 
// depositData is ABI-encoded amount
// encodePacked would be wrong here -- use encodeAbiParameters
import { encodeAbiParameters, parseAbiParameters } from "viem";
 
const depositData = encodeAbiParameters(
  parseAbiParameters("uint256"),
  [1000000n] // amount in token's smallest unit
);

zkEVM LxLy Bridge (zkEVM <-> Ethereum)

The zkEVM uses the LxLy bridge contract (also used by AggLayer chains).

Bridge Asset (L1 -> zkEVM):

const ZKEVM_BRIDGE = "0x2a3DD3EB832aF982ec71669E178424b10Dca2EDe" as const;
 
const bridgeAbi = parseAbi([
  "function bridgeAsset(uint32 destinationNetwork, address destinationAddress, uint256 amount, address token, bool forceUpdateGlobalExitRoot, bytes calldata permitData) external payable",
  "function claimAsset(bytes32[32] calldata smtProofLocalExitRoot, bytes32[32] calldata smtProofRollupExitRoot, uint256 globalIndex, bytes32 mainnetExitRoot, bytes32 rollupExitRoot, uint32 originNetwork, address originTokenAddress, uint32 destinationNetwork, address destinationAddress, uint256 amount, bytes calldata metadata) external",
]);
 
// networkId 0 = Ethereum mainnet
// networkId 1 = Polygon zkEVM mainnet

Claiming on Destination:

After the bridge transaction is included and proof is generated, call claimAsset on the destination chain with the Merkle proof from the bridge API.

Bridge Monitoring

// Polygon PoS bridge API
const POS_BRIDGE_API = "https://proof-generator.polygon.technology/api/v1";
 
// Check if checkpoint included (for PoS withdrawals)
const checkpointStatus = await fetch(
  `${POS_BRIDGE_API}/matic/block-included/${blockNumber}?networkType=mainnet`
);
 
// zkEVM bridge API
const ZKEVM_BRIDGE_API = "https://bridge-api.zkevm-rpc.com";
 
// Get bridge deposit status
const depositStatus = await fetch(
  `${ZKEVM_BRIDGE_API}/bridges/${depositAddress}?offset=0&limit=25`
);
 
// Get Merkle proof for claiming
const merkleProof = await fetch(
  `${ZKEVM_BRIDGE_API}/merkle-proof?deposit_cnt=${depositCount}&net_id=${networkId}`
);

Gas Model

Polygon PoS

• Gas is paid in POL (native token, formerly MATIC)
• Gas prices typically 30-100 gwei, significantly lower than Ethereum
• EIP-1559 is supported (base fee + priority fee)
• During congestion, gas can spike to 500+ gwei

import { createPublicClient, http } from "viem";
import { polygon } from "viem/chains";
 
const posClient = createPublicClient({
  chain: polygon,
  transport: http("https://polygon-rpc.com"),
});
 
const gasPrice = await posClient.getGasPrice();
const block = await posClient.getBlock();
// block.baseFeePerGas gives current base fee

Polygon zkEVM

• Gas is paid in ETH
• Pricing reflects L2 execution + L1 data posting cost
• Generally cheaper than Ethereum mainnet but more expensive than PoS
• Gas varies with L1 gas prices (data availability cost)

Ecosystem

Major Protocols on Polygon PoS

Infrastructure

Key Differences: PoS vs zkEVM vs Ethereum

Viem Chain Definitions

import { defineChain } from "viem";
 
// Polygon PoS (built into viem)
import { polygon } from "viem/chains";
 
// Polygon zkEVM (built into viem)
import { polygonZkEvm } from "viem/chains";
 
// Amoy testnet (built into viem)
import { polygonAmoy } from "viem/chains";
 
// Cardona testnet (may need manual definition)
const polygonZkEvmCardona = defineChain({
  id: 2442,
  name: "Polygon zkEVM Cardona",
  nativeCurrency: { name: "Ether", symbol: "ETH", decimals: 18 },
  rpcUrls: {
    default: { http: ["https://rpc.cardona.zkevm-rpc.com"] },
  },
  blockExplorers: {
    default: { name: "Blockscout", url: "https://cardona-zkevm.polygonscan.com" },
  },
  testnet: true,
});

Resources

• Polygon Documentation
• Polygon zkEVM Docs
• AggLayer Docs
• Polygonscan
• zkEVM Explorer
• Polygon Faucet
• Polygon CDK
• POL Token Migration
• Bridge UI

Skill Structure

polygon/
├── SKILL.md                        # This file
├── examples/
│   ├── deploy-contract/            # Deployment to PoS and zkEVM
│   ├── bridge-tokens/              # PoS bridge and LxLy bridge
│   ├── zkevm-patterns/             # zkEVM-specific patterns
│   └── pol-staking/                # POL staking and delegation
├── resources/
│   ├── contract-addresses.md       # All key addresses
│   └── error-codes.md             # Common errors
├── docs/
│   └── troubleshooting.md         # Common issues and fixes
└── templates/
    └── polygon-client.ts          # Starter template