> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.boundless.network/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Migrating from Bonsai

> A practical guide for developers transitioning from Bonsai to Boundless.

> [!TIP]
>
> For technical support, please post your questions on the [Boundless Discussions Forum](https://github.com/boundless-xyz/boundless/discussions).

## What happened to Bonsai?

Bonsai was RISC Zero's centralized proving service, delivering proofs via an API. As of December 2025, Bonsai is no longer available. Boundless is intended to be a replacement for all your proving needs. If you want to read about the differences between Bonsai and Boundless, please continue on this page. Otherwise, if you have a guest program ready and you are eager to get started, you can follow the [Request a Proof](https://docs.boundless.network/developers/tutorials/request.md) tutorial to create your first proof request on Boundless.

Boundless is the blockchain native way to work with ZK proofs; while the initial setup is more complex than Bonsai's  configuration, you gain access to verifiable compute through a highly available, permissionless and self-sustaining proving protocol that aligns with Web3's core principles.

## Key Benefits

* Native proof aggregation amortizes the onchain gas costs for proof verification across the entire Boundless network; you won't have to worry about paying high gas costs for proof verification in your app.
* Strong cryptoeconomic guarantees (through prover slashing and automatic retry logic) on the delivery time of proofs, which is highly configurable via the [auction parameters](https://docs.boundless.network/developers/tutorials/auction.md) parameters.
* The [Smart Contract Requestor](https://docs.boundless.network/developers/tutorials/smart-contract-requestor.md) and [Callback](https://docs.boundless.network/developers/tutorials/callbacks.md) features eliminate the need to build (often extensive) offchain infrastructure for both proof request and proof delivery.
* Build up your app's community by integrating with the industry's only fully open source multi-GPU proving stack.

## Key Differences

While Bonsai offers simplicity through centralization, Boundless provides:

* *Liveness Guarantees*: Decentralized protocol with multiple provers
* *High Availability*: No single point of failure
* *Long-term sustainability*: Community-driven protocol evolution
* *Transparent pricing*: Market-driven proof costs

| Aspect | Bonsai | Boundless |
| - | - | - |
| *Setup* | 2 environment variables (BONSAI\_API\_URL + BONSAI\_API\_KEY) | Wallet + Storage Provider |
| *Proof Format* | STARK/SNARK (Groth16) | Proof aggregated via SetVerifier |
| *Proof Delivery* | Directly to host program (Offchain) | Onchain |
| *Proof Verification* | Via [receipt.verify](https://docs.rs/risc0-zkvm/latest/risc0_zkvm/struct.Receipt.html#method.verify) or [Verifier Contracts](https://docs.boundless.network/developers/smart-contracts/verifier-contracts) | [Verifier Contracts](https://docs.boundless.network/developers/smart-contracts/verifier-contracts) |
| *Architecture* | Centralized service | Decentralized protocol |
| *Integration* | Drop-in replacement to guest program | New integration required |

## Getting Started

### Setup

Before you get started, you'll need to set up:

* *Wallet*: Configure a developer wallet for on-chain transactions. For dev testing, something as simple as Metamask will do; make sure to create a new account for your dev testing. You'll also need funds before you can submit a request.
* *Storage Provider*: You'll need to set up either IPFS or S3 for provers to be fulfill your requests. We recommend IPFS via the Pinata gateway, see further instructions [here](https://docs.boundless.network/developers/tutorials/request.md#storage-provider).

### Sending your first proof request

Transitioning to Boundless requires:

* Rearchitecting your proof request and retrieval flow
* Managing proof fulfillment asynchronously
* Handling potential proof request failures or delays

The documentation listed below, along with the [Boundless Foundry Template](https://github.com/boundless-xyz/boundless-foundry-template) and the [Boundless Examples](https://github.com/boundless-xyz/boundless/tree/main/examples), will help you get started in no time.

1. *[Quick Start Guide](https://docs.boundless.network/developers/quick-start.md)*: Set up your first Boundless project and request your first proof with our example app, [Boundless Foundry Template](https://github.com/boundless-xyz/boundless-foundry-template).
2. *[Request a Proof](https://docs.boundless.network/developers/tutorials/request.md)*: Go into more specifics when it comes to requesting a proof with request/offer configuration.
3. *[Proof Tracking](https://docs.boundless.network/developers/tutorials/tracking.md)*: Implement monitoring of requests and retrieving proofs when they are finished
4. *[Use a Proof](https://docs.boundless.network/developers/tutorials/use.md)*: Understand how to use a Boundless proof in your app.
5. *[Boundless Tooling](https://docs.boundless.network/developers/tooling/sdk.md)*: Explore the SDK and CLI to configure your request flow to your specific needs.

### Proof Verification

If you are verifying proofs onchain, Boundless proofs verify in exactly the same manner as proofs delivered via Bonsai, and via the same [Verifier Router contract](https://docs.boundless.network/developers/smart-contracts/verifier-contracts) you are used to using. There should be no upgrade required, unless you are using an old version of (i.e. 1.X.X) R0VM.


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