Zcash releases Zakura node client targeting 50,000 TPS with full privacy at payment network scale.
Tech & Launches ·
Zcash has released Zakura, a new full node client designed to handle 50,000 transactions per second while maintaining the network's privacy and verification properties. The software, maintained by Sean Bowe and Dev Ojha of Valar Group and funded through private ZEC donations, launches as a streamlined alternative to the original zcashd client ahead of its July 18 discontinuation.
Zakura is built as an independent fork of Zebra, the Zcash Foundation's node implementation, and incorporates pruning capabilities that reduce blockchain storage from full history to approximately 11 gigabytes. This optimization allows new nodes to synchronize in under two minutes rather than through conventional block-by-block downloading. The release also includes a compatibility layer that preserves the interface of the legacy zcashd, ensuring existing wallet and exchange integrations remain functional without modification.
The development effort represents the first component of a broader scaling initiative alongside Project Tachyon and private information retrieval research. The throughput target of 50,000 transactions per second matches Visa and Mastercard volumes and reflects what the team describes as a minimum threshold, not a ceiling. Zakura will support the Ironwood upgrade activating July 28, which implements a withdrawal cap mechanism for the Orchard shielded pool to address a previously identified soundness issue.