Zakura released an open-source cryptography toolkit on Aug. 29 that reduced private Zcash transaction construction from more than three seconds to below 200 milliseconds in some benchmark tests, representing the most substantial cryptographic optimization in Zcash's history.
Proof Generation Speed Improves Dramatically
Zakura's benchmarks showed mobile proof generation improving more than fourteenfold, while desktop performance increased by more than five times. Under some test conditions, transaction construction fell below 200 milliseconds, compared with more than three seconds under the previous implementation. Zcash co-founder Sean Bowe called it the most substantial release of cryptographic optimizations in Zcash's history.
Hashing and Verification Also Accelerated
Sinsemilla hashing became more than 21 times faster under the new implementation, reducing the computational work required while wallets construct private transactions. Trial decryption improved by more than 1.5 times, helping wallets scan blockchain data faster to determine which shielded transactions belong to a user. Full nodes gained faster proof checks, with zk-SNARK verification improvements ranging from fourfold to eightfold.
No Network Upgrade Required
Wallet and node developers can integrate the software without changing Zcash consensus rules. Adoption does not require a hard fork, network upgrade or coordinated activation among node operators. Zakura released Common under dual MIT and Apache 2.0 licenses. Zakura version 1.3.0 has already adopted the stack, while Vizor Wallet is among its first confirmed wallet integrations.
Ironwood and NU7 Address Separate Issues
The software release followed the Ironwood upgrade, which replaced the Orchard pool after a critical soundness problem was identified. Ironwood activated through the NU6.3 network upgrade in July. Zakura Common remains separate from the proposed NU7 network upgrade, which could reduce block times to approximately 25 seconds. The software can operate under the proposed timing but NU7 requires its own governance process and network activation.