# Nighthawk Apps Launches Global Zcash Light Client Infrastructure **URL:** \ **Category:** Ecosystem Updates\ **Created:** [June 1, 2023, 12:54pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/nighthawk-apps-launches-global-zcash-light-client-infrastructure/44768 "2023-06-01T12:54:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NighthawkApps](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/nighthawkapps/32/30827_2.png) [@NighthawkApps](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/NighthawkApps)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 12:54pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/nighthawk-apps-launches-global-zcash-light-client-infrastructure/44768/1 "2023-06-01T12:54:16Z")
Nighthawk Apps, a leading developer of privacy-focused cryptocurrency wallets, has announced the release of the geographically distributed setup of Zcash light client infrastructure. This development will make wallet services faster and more available to Zcash users located around the globe. Zcash is a cryptocurrency that offers strong privacy protection for its users, using advanced cryptographic techniques such as zero-knowledge proofs. However, to use Zcash, users need to connect to a node that validates transactions and provides blockchain data. Running a full node can be resource-intensive and impractical for many users, especially on mobile devices. That’s why Nighthawk Apps has created a network of light client nodes that can serve Zcash users with minimal bandwidth and storage requirements. The light client nodes use the Zcash Light Client Protocol (ZLCP), which allows users to verify transactions without downloading the entire blockchain. The ZLCP also supports shielded transactions, which hide the sender, receiver, and amount of ZEC transferred. The new setup of Nighthawk Apps’ light client infrastructure consists of four node clusters located in different regions of the world: Toronto for North America, São Paulo for South America, Frankfurt for Europe & Africa, and Singapore for Asia & Oceania. These locations were chosen to optimize latency and availability for Zcash users across continents. The node clusters are automated with Kubernetes, an open-source container orchestration system for automating software deployment, scaling, and management. The Kubernetes scripts written by Nighthawk Apps are audited by Taylor Hornby(@earthrise), a well-known Zcash community auditor, and security researcher. | Location | Host | Port | | --- | --- | --- | | North America | [na.lightwalletd.com](http://na.lightwalletd.com) | 443 | | South America | [sa.lightwalletd.com](http://sa.lightwalletd.com) | 443 | | Europe & Africa | [eu.lightwalletd.com](http://eu.lightwalletd.com) | 443 | | Asia & Oceania | [ai.lightwalletd.com](http://ai.lightwalletd.com) | 443 | [Click here](https://main--dreamy-pithivier-3c39d0.netlify.app/) to find the closest cluster to your region. By launching this global Zcash light client infrastructure, Nighthawk Apps aims to provide a reliable and convenient way for Zcash users to access the network and enjoy its privacy features. Nighthawk Apps also invites other developers and projects to use its infrastructure to build their own Zcash applications and services. Nighthawk Apps is a proud recipient of a one-year grant from the Zcash Community Grants program, which funds independent teams to develop and maintain public good in the Zcash ecosystem. The grant was awarded in February 2023, following a proposal submission and positive feedback from the Zcash community. Nighthawk Apps appreciates the support and trust of the Zcash Community Grants program. For more information about connecting to the Global Zcash Light Client Infrastructure, visit [https://lightwalletd.com](https://lightwalletd.com) and follow [@NighthawkApps](https://twitter.com/nighthawkapps) on Twitter to learn about its products. ---
**Author:** ![conradoplg](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/conradoplg/32/42878_2.png) [@conradoplg](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/conradoplg)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 1:25pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/nighthawk-apps-launches-global-zcash-light-client-infrastructure/44768/2 "2023-06-01T13:25:18Z")
Pretty cool, good job! ---
**Author:** ![gordonesTV](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/gordonestv/32/45566_2.png) [@gordonesTV](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/gordonesTV)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 4:31pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/nighthawk-apps-launches-global-zcash-light-client-infrastructure/44768/3 "2023-06-01T16:31:27Z")
Great news! Waiting more advances of this… ---
**Author:** ![hanh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/hanh/32/27853_2.png) [@hanh](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/hanh)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 9:43pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/nighthawk-apps-launches-global-zcash-light-client-infrastructure/44768/4 "2023-06-01T21:43:19Z")
Great! Which version of lightwalletd are you running on these servers? ---
**Author:** ![pacu](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/pacu/32/15383_2.png) [@pacu](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/pacu)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 11:09pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/nighthawk-apps-launches-global-zcash-light-client-infrastructure/44768/5 "2023-06-01T23:09:30Z")
North America ```auto grpcurl na.lightwalletd.com:443 cash.z.wallet.sdk.rpc.CompactTxStreamer/GetLightdInfo { "version": "v0.4.13", "vendor": "ECC LightWalletD", "taddrSupport": true, "chainName": "main", "saplingActivationHeight": "419200", "consensusBranchId": "c2d6d0b4", "blockHeight": "2106878", "gitCommit": "2d3943b8e995a3b2c5648ec9859dccc67c535386", "buildDate": "2023-05-13", "buildUser": "root", "estimatedHeight": "2106878", "zcashdBuild": "v5.5.0", "zcashdSubversion": "/MagicBean:5.5.0/" } ``` South America ```auto grpcurl sa.lightwalletd.com:443 cash.z.wallet.sdk.rpc.CompactTxStreamer/GetLightdInfo { "version": "v0.4.13", "vendor": "ECC LightWalletD", "taddrSupport": true, "chainName": "main", "saplingActivationHeight": "419200", "consensusBranchId": "c2d6d0b4", "blockHeight": "2106878", "gitCommit": "2d3943b8e995a3b2c5648ec9859dccc67c535386", "buildDate": "2023-05-13", "buildUser": "root", "estimatedHeight": "2106878", "zcashdBuild": "v5.5.0", "zcashdSubversion": "/MagicBean:5.5.0/" } ``` Europe & Africa ```auto grpcurl eu.lightwalletd.com:443 cash.z.wallet.sdk.rpc.CompactTxStreamer/GetLightdInfo { "version": "v0.4.13", "vendor": "ECC LightWalletD", "taddrSupport": true, "chainName": "main", "saplingActivationHeight": "419200", "consensusBranchId": "c2d6d0b4", "blockHeight": "2106878", "gitCommit": "2d3943b8e995a3b2c5648ec9859dccc67c535386", "buildDate": "2023-05-04", "buildUser": "root", "estimatedHeight": "2106878", "zcashdBuild": "v5.5.0", "zcashdSubversion": "/MagicBean:5.5.0/" } ``` Asia & Oceania ```auto grpcurl ai.lightwalletd.com:443 cash.z.wallet.sdk.rpc.CompactTxStreamer/GetLightdInfo { "version": "v0.4.13", "vendor": "ECC LightWalletD", "taddrSupport": true, "chainName": "main", "saplingActivationHeight": "419200", "consensusBranchId": "c2d6d0b4", "blockHeight": "2106878", "gitCommit": "2d3943b8e995a3b2c5648ec9859dccc67c535386", "buildDate": "2023-05-04", "buildUser": "root", "estimatedHeight": "2106878", "zcashdBuild": "v5.5.0", "zcashdSubversion": "/MagicBean:5.5.0/" } ``` ---
**Author:** ![kowalabearhugs](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/kowalabearhugs/32/19563_2.png) [@kowalabearhugs](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/kowalabearhugs)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 12:55am UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/nighthawk-apps-launches-global-zcash-light-client-infrastructure/44768/6 "2023-06-02T00:55:30Z")
**There are no [lightwalletd.com](http://lightwalletd.com) warrant canary updates for April and May of this year** nor I have seen any other announcements from Nighthawk or the Light Client Working Group to explain these discrepancies. The [Nighthawk 2023 roadmap](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/nighthawk-update-for-january-2023/43892) included, "Continue maintaining the monthly warranty canary on [https://lightwalletd.com](https://lightwalletd.com)" Per Nighthawk’s policy, " **If a warrant canary has not been updated in the time period specified by us, users are to assume that we have indeed been served with a secret subpoena.** The intention is to allow us to warn users of the existence of a subpoena passively, without disclosing to others that the government has sought or obtained access to information or records under a secret subpoena. ---
**Author:** ![hanh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/hanh/32/27853_2.png) [@hanh](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/hanh)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 1:06am UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/nighthawk-apps-launches-global-zcash-light-client-infrastructure/44768/7 "2023-06-02T01:06:12Z")
Does it include @adityapk00 PR that filters transactions based on the number of spends/outputs/actions? ---
**Author:** ![aiyadt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e9bcb4/32.png) [@aiyadt](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/aiyadt)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 4:00am UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/nighthawk-apps-launches-global-zcash-light-client-infrastructure/44768/8 "2023-06-02T04:00:23Z")
Hey @kowalabearhugs 👋 We appreciate your attentive monitoring of the [lightwalletd.com](http://lightwalletd.com) service status. Myself and @vamsi have been issuing a monthly warrant canary for 2 years to ensure transparency and trust. However, based on the recommendations of leading privacy experts, we have decided to switch to a [Quarterly User Information Request Report](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/nighthawk-apps-q1-2023-report/44700), which is consistent with the best practices of public infrastructure service providers. We have communicated this change in our [2023 grant application](https://zcashgrants.org/gallery/25215916-53ea-4041-a3b2-6d00c487917d/34874248/) document, the March Warrant Canary, and our social media channels. > > * * * Furthermore, I vehemently oppose any form of mass surveillance. ---
**Author:** ![tokidoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@tokidoki](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/tokidoki)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 10:13am UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/nighthawk-apps-launches-global-zcash-light-client-infrastructure/44768/9 "2023-06-02T10:13:55Z")
Based on the version number and vendor info, this looks like the latest version of [github.com/zcash/lightwalletd](https://github.com/zcash/lightwalletd) I believe Zecwallet fork has lower version number and lists `Zecwallet LightWalletD` as its vendor ---
**Author:** ![hanh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/hanh/32/27853_2.png) [@hanh](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/hanh)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 10:44am UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/nighthawk-apps-launches-global-zcash-light-client-infrastructure/44768/10 "2023-06-02T10:44:30Z")
Thanks for the investigation. I’m actually interested in a particular PR. > > > \*\*What is your feature request?\*\* > > Since the beginning of Jul, the blockchain …has seen a surge of large transactions with a lot of outputs. The reason remains unknown but it is clear that for most people, these transactions are not relevant. > However, currently, lightwallets must download and process all this data. At this point, the "compact" blockchain is bigger than 5 GB. More than 4 GB are from Jul-Aug alone. > In fact, downloading is the bottleneck for YWallet and when I synchronize from my own local server, I can pull \>10 MB/s. But if I use ZWL or NH servers, I usually only get ~1-2 MB/s. Unfortunately, the wallet is waiting for data. > > I suggest offering a filter option in LWD which would prune the compact outputs down to the \`cmu\` (that is needed for witness maintenance). > > There is an ongoing discussion about changing the fee structure in the future. I suggest retroactively applying a similar formula to the existing transactions. Essentially, a client wallet would say: "I am not interested in transactions that would have cost more than X in fees". Either they are not for me, or they are from spam / dust transactions and would waste my phone resources. > > Right now, we could make the filter just be a limit on the number of outputs. Then update/improve it when the formula is agreed on. > > The client can decide what threshold he accepts. > > \*\*How would this feature help you?\*\* > > With this function, the lightwallet will download only 32 bytes instead of 116 (=32+32+52) per output. So ~1/4. > Instead of downloading 5 GB, it would be ~1.5 GB (very rough estimate). > > YWallet implements this filtering logic in the client but it still must download all this excess data. > > Additionally, the API could also introduce an option to discard all Orchard data from the download. This would be interesting for wallets that currently do not support Orchard. > > As a new API, wallets that don't use this feature will not be affected in any fashion. > > Thanks, > \--h and [Add spam filters by adityapk00 · Pull Request #413 · zcash/lightwalletd · GitHub](https://github.com/zcash/lightwalletd/pull/413#issuecomment-1264013002) This has a **huge** impact on the performance of the spam filter because it avoids downloading the spam transaction from the server. Otherwise, the filtering happens at the client. As a result, I always recommend using the ZecWallet server when synchronization speed is an issue. ---
**Author:** ![JoakimEQ](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/joakimeq/32/27704_2.png) [@JoakimEQ](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/JoakimEQ)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 12:55pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/nighthawk-apps-launches-global-zcash-light-client-infrastructure/44768/11 "2023-07-12T12:55:13Z")
This is a really cool advancement if it works - so basically Remote synchronization (lightweight) should be possible for wallets now?