research: Aiken vs Soroban for Semaphore

[Oseec]

Aiken vs Soroban: Semaphore Smart Contracts

📝 Summary

This Pull Request (PR) provides a comprehensive analysis comparing Aiken and Soroban for implementing Semaphore-based smart contracts. The research evaluates their respective programming paradigms, ecosystem support, security measures, and performance considerations to determine the most suitable platform for privacy-focused applications.

🔗 Related Issues

Closes [Research Docs] Aiken vs Soroban: Feasibility of Semaphore Smart Contracts #45

🔄 Changes Made

• Created AikenVsSoroban.md, detailing the comparative study.
• Researched and documented:
  • The functional programming nature of Aiken vs. the Rust-WASM-based architecture of Soroban.
  • The ecosystem readiness of both platforms, including privacy tool integration.
  • Security implications and performance trade-offs between Cardano’s EUTXO model and Stellar’s account-based model.
  • Potential challenges of implementing Semaphore on each platform.
• Provided real-world references and community contributions toward integrating zero-knowledge proofs.

🧪 Testing

N/A (This PR is research-focused; no code testing required.)

🖼️ Screenshots & Resources

• Relevant links and documentation are included in the research document.

✅ Self-Check for Contribution Requirements

Mark with an x all applicable checkboxes:

• Forked the repository and created a new branch with a meaningful name.
• Ensured that the research content is structured and free of grammatical errors.
• Maintained consistency in formatting and terminology.
• Verified all provided references and cross-checked ecosystem compatibility.
• Used a conventional commit format for messages.
• Thoroughly reviewed potential integration challenges for Semaphore smart contracts.

💬 Comments

This research aims to guide developers in selecting the optimal platform for deploying Semaphore-based privacy-enhancing smart contracts. Given Cardano’s robust security model and community efforts, Aiken currently stands as the preferred choice, while Soroban requires further ecosystem development for seamless integration.