We’re excited to announce that Zcash is now available on Global Nodes. Zcash is a privacy-focused Layer 1 blockchain with optional shielded transactions, and it has been available on Chainstack as Dedicated Nodes. You can now also deploy Zcash Mainnet and Testnet on shared, geo-balanced Global Nodes, in Full mode, with Bitcoin-style JSON-RPC over HTTPS, a transparent address index, and the Zcash-specific z_* methods for shielded pool state.
Why build on Zcash?
Zcash is a proof-of-work, UTXO-based Layer 1 launched in 2016. It extends the Bitcoin model with shielded transactions secured by zero-knowledge proofs, so a transaction can keep its sender, recipient, and amount private while remaining verifiable. That makes it a natural fit for wallets, exchanges, custody services, and payment applications that need confidentiality with the option to disclose.
- Transparent and shielded side by side: Zcash supports public transparent transactions that work like Bitcoin’s, and shielded transactions in the Sapling and Orchard pools. Shielded balances and history are visible only to the holder of the viewing key.
- Proof of work, about 75-second blocks: Zcash mines with Equihash and targets a block roughly every 75 seconds. The NU7 network upgrade is planned to cut the target to 25 seconds.
- Fixed supply: ZEC is capped at 21 million coins, and amounts are expressed in zatoshis, where 1 ZEC equals 100,000,000 zatoshis.
For developers, Zcash is not an EVM chain, and its API is Bitcoin-style JSON-RPC rather than eth_*. Chainstack Zcash nodes run Zebra, the Zcash Foundation’s Rust node, which replaced zcashd after its end of support in July 2026. Zebra is a node, not a wallet: build and sign transactions with a wallet library, then broadcast them with sendrawtransaction. See the Zcash tooling guide for examples in curl, Python, and JavaScript.
Build better with Zcash on Chainstack
Running Zcash on Chainstack gives you reliable access and predictable performance for wallets, exchanges, custody services, indexers, and payment apps. Chainstack provides:
- Global Nodes — geo-balanced RPC endpoints for scalable, low-latency access to Zcash Mainnet and Testnet
- Transparent history from the first block — Global Nodes run in Full mode, and every request is billed as full at 1 request unit, with no archive split
- Address index —
getaddressbalance,getaddresstxids, andgetaddressutxoslook up transparent addresses without running an indexer - Shielded pool state —
z_gettreestate,z_getsubtreesbyindex,z_validateaddress, andz_listunifiedreceiversfor wallet sync and address handling - Dedicated Nodes — still available for isolated infrastructure on Mainnet and Testnet, on the Pro plan or higher, and they can also run lightwalletd for light wallet clients
- Bitcoin-style JSON-RPC over HTTPS — one endpoint that works with any JSON-RPC client
Zcash endpoints are HTTPS only, with no WebSocket. To follow new blocks, poll getbestblockhash or getblockcount. Node-control and mining-submission methods such as stop, addnode, generate, submitblock, and getblocktemplate are not available.
How to get started with Zcash on Chainstack
- Log in to the Chainstack console (or create an account)
- Create a new project
- Select Zcash as your blockchain protocol
- Choose Mainnet or Testnet and Global Node
- Deploy the node
- Open Access and credentials and copy your HTTPS endpoint
Want the details first? See the Zcash tooling guide for the address index, shielded pool state methods, and the full list of available methods.
Bringing it all together
With Zcash now on Global Nodes alongside Dedicated Nodes, Chainstack extends its UTXO coverage beyond Bitcoin to a privacy-focused Layer 1. Whether you’re building wallets, running an exchange or custody service, or indexing transparent activity on Zcash, Chainstack provides the production-grade RPC infrastructure to scale with confidence.
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