midnight-transactions

Transactions

The Midnight node supports the standard Polkadot SDK transaction format, but default Substrate-style signed extrinsics are uncommon in practice. Midnight relies on a proof-based verification model tightly coupled with the Midnight Ledger.

Lifecycle overview

flowchart TB
  Build["Build transaction + ZK proof<br/>(wallet / SDK)"]
  Submit["Submit to node RPC / P2P"]
  Pool["Transaction pool<br/>well-formedness check"]
  Block["Included in block"]
  Verify["Runtime verifies embedded proof"]
  Execute["Execute state transition"]
  Commit["Commit to trie + ledger commitment"]

  Build --> Submit --> Pool
  Pool -->|Valid structure| Block
  Pool -->|Reject| Reject["Dropped from pool"]
  Block --> Verify
  Verify -->|Invalid proof| Fail["Transaction fails"]
  Verify -->|Valid| Execute --> Commit

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Proof-based model

Most Midnight transactions are unsigned and follow the Midnight Ledger format.

Traditional chain	Midnight
Signature authorizes action	Cryptographic proof attests validity
Public signer identity	Sensitive data stays off-chain / in proof
Standard extrinsic format	Ledger-specific transaction envelope

The proof lets the network validate state transitions without exposing sensitive data or raw signatures directly.

Transaction types

• Contract deployment
• Contract invocation (circuit calls)
• ZSwap asset transfers

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Processing stages

1. Submission

Client (wallet, SDK, dApp) submits a transaction to a node's RPC or propagates via P2P gossip.

2. Transaction pool validation

The pool checks well-formedness:

• Structural requirements per runtime and ledger specification
• Logical preconditions (format, size, basic validity)
• Not full proof verification yet (that happens at block execution)

sequenceDiagram
  participant Client
  participant Pool as Tx pool
  participant Block as Block author
  participant RT as Runtime (pallet-midnight)

  Client->>Pool: Submit unsigned proof tx
  Pool->>Pool: Well-formedness validation
  alt Invalid
    Pool-->>Client: Reject
  else Valid
    Pool->>Block: Candidate for inclusion
    Block->>RT: Execute in block
    RT->>RT: Full proof verification
    RT->>RT: State transition + commit
  end

3. Block inclusion

A block producer (AURA validator) includes the transaction in a new block.

4. Runtime verification and execution

pallet-midnight:

1. Fully verifies the embedded cryptographic proof (native libraries).
2. If valid, executes the corresponding state transition.
3. Commits the updated state to on-chain storage.

5. Finality

Block may be finalized asynchronously via GRANDPA after inclusion.

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Comparison: pool vs runtime checks

Check	Where	What
Well-formedness	Transaction pool	Structure, basic validity
Proof verification	Runtime (pallet-midnight)	Full cryptographic validation
State transition	Runtime	ZSwap / contract state update
Persistence	Storage layer	Trie + ledger commitment

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Building and submitting txs (dApp context)

For application developers:

Layer	Skill
Prove + submit txs	midnight-js/, 1am-wallet/
Contract logic	compact/
Read results	midnight-indexer/, midnight-rpc/

Node operators care about pool sizing, block limits, and RPC submission endpoints.

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Related skills

• midnight-onchain-logic/ — pallet-midnight execution
• midnight-storage/ — how commits are persisted
• midnight-consensus/ — who includes txs in blocks
• midnight-rpc/ — submission and state query endpoints
• compact/ — what proofs attest to at the contract level