What is Midnight?
Midnight is a data protection blockchain built by IOG — the same team behind Cardano. It lets developers build apps where users can prove things without revealing everything.
The problem with today's blockchains
Most blockchains are fully transparent — every transaction, wallet balance, and smart contract interaction is visible to everyone. This is great for trustlessness, but terrible for privacy. Real-world adoption requires confidentiality. Midnight solves this without sacrificing auditability.
How Midnight works
Privacy by design — not as an afterthought.
Selective Disclosure
Prove facts about yourself — age, nationality, credentials — without revealing the underlying data. You control what you share.
Zero-Knowledge Proofs
Midnight uses ZK cryptography to verify computations without exposing inputs. Mathematically guaranteed privacy.
Public + Private State
Smart contracts on Midnight can have both a public state (visible on-chain) and a private state (shielded). Best of both worlds.
Cardano-Powered Security
Midnight is a partner chain of Cardano, inheriting its security model and decentralized validator set.
TypeScript DApps
Midnight DApps are written in TypeScript — a familiar language for millions of developers. No new language required.
Compliance-Friendly
Privacy doesn't mean anonymous fraud. Midnight allows regulatory compliance proofs without exposing sensitive data.
Real-World Use Cases
Digital Identity
Prove you're over 18 without sharing your date of birth. Verify credentials without a centralized database.
Private DeFi
Execute trades and manage positions without revealing your strategy or portfolio to competitors.
Enterprise Data
Companies can collaborate on shared data and computations without exposing trade secrets.
Healthcare Records
Share medical data with providers while keeping it private from insurers, employers, and others.
Midnight launched on mainnet in March 2026. Developers can build and deploy privacy DApps on the live Kukolu network today using the Midnight SDK and Midnight Lace wallet.
Visit Midnight Network →