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Zcash Zcash is a privacy-focused, proof-of-work Layer 1 blockchain with optional shielded transactions secured by zero-knowledge proofs.
Decentralized proof-of-work consensus secured by Equihash mining
75-second target block time, moving to 25 seconds with the NU7 upgrade
Privacy-preserving payments, wallets, exchanges, custody
Start today with a Zcash node on Chainstack: Global Nodes for instant access, or a Dedicated Node for isolated infrastructure.
| Consensus | Proof of Work (Equihash) |
| Public / Private / Permissioned | Public |
| Smart contracts | No |
| Smart contract language(s) supported | Not applicable (Bitcoin-style Script) |
| Transaction privacy | Optional—shielded transactions hide the sender, recipient, and amount using zk-SNARKs |
| Transaction visibility | Transparent transactions are public; shielded transactions are encrypted |
| Transaction ordering | Miners order transactions into blocks, with a 75-second target block time (25 seconds once NU7 activates) |
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