Verifiable Databases with Shyam & Emanuele from Provably

April 8, 2026·56 min·4 clips

How can you prove something about a database without ever seeing the underlying data?

The problem is plain. A database has facts someone needs to prove, but the data itself may need to stay private. Shyam and Emanuele do not pitch a broad proving framework. They describe a narrower SQL route that avoids writing a fresh circuit for every database or every query. KZG sits at the center. They frame it as flexible polynomial commitment cryptography, useful for vector commitments, linear vector commitment maps, and zero testing. Then the pace gets more technical. The construction becomes a polynomial IOP built for SQL, rather than a SNARK for arbitrary circuits like Plonk. The answer is yes, and the distinction is the point. Provably is not trying to prove any computation someone can dream up. It proves database facts. From there, the conversation turns practical: who asks for these proofs, when they ask, and why they care. The blockchain example gives it shape. A user or institution may have private transaction data tied to a wallet or private database, while still needing to prove income, expenses, profit, or turnover to someone else. SQL is the interface. If private transactions are verifiably indexed into local state, one query can back a proof about business turnover. The appeal is practical. Existing databases and familiar queries stay in the picture instead of being swapped out for a circuit-per-query system. Anna Rose closes by thanking Shyam and Emanuele for explaining how Provably works with existing databases and what verifiable databases may make possible.

As heard by us

A grounded look at proving facts about databases without exposing data, with practical examples and a clear look at the protocol behind it.

Sham and Emanuele keep the discussion grounded by staying close to how the system works. The episode explains how to prove facts about a database without exposing the underlying data, then moves into SQL proof systems and the practical user flow.

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