Zcash

P2P Protocol

"Encrypted electronic cash" — the first cryptocurrency to implement zero-knowledge proofs (zk-SNARKs, via the Zerocash protocol) for optional fully-shielded, privacy-preserving transactions, built on a Bitcoin-derived codebase. Governance is genuinely multi-stakeholder: Electric Coin Company (the original for-profit developer), the Zcash Foundation (non-profit), and Zcash Community Grants (a community-elected funding body) all play distinct roles, trending toward more community control since 2020.

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Details

License MIT — confirmed via the repo's COPYING file. One narrow exception worth noting: the bundled Oracle Berkeley DB 6.2.x dependency is separately AGPL-licensed.
Dev Status 🟢 Active
Owner Electric Coin Company (original developer, for-profit) — but not the sole steward; see Governing Body.
Governing Body Multi-stakeholder — Electric Coin Company (core dev), Zcash Foundation (non-profit, ecosystem/protocol stewardship), Zcash Community Grants (community-elected dev-fund allocation body). No single entity holds unilateral authority.
Country N/A (multiple entities across jurisdictions)
Start Year 2016
Stack C++ (zcash/zcash, Bitcoin-derived codebase).
Funding Multi-source — Electric Coin Company's own revenue/investment, Zcash Foundation grants, and the on-chain "dev fund" allocated in part via Zcash Community Grants' community-elected process.
Last Investigated Nov 12, 2026

Topology view

This tool in the centre and the things it is directly related to. Each line names the kind of relationship.

Topology view: ZcashThis tool in the centre and the things it is directly related to. Each line names the kind of relationship.ZcashBitcoin (Based on, Forked from, Speaks protocol)Bitcoin
  • Bitcoin (Tool): Based on, Forked from, Speaks protocol

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Use Case Domains

Platform Evolution & Sovereignty

Affordances

End-to-end encrypted

P2P Protocol Attributes

Origins "Encrypted electronic cash," Bitcoin-codebase fork adding the Zerocash protocol's zk-SNARK-based shielded transactions (optional, not default — a key contrast with Monero's default-private model).
Database N/A
Query Language N/A
Data Formats Bitcoin-derived binary block/transaction format, extended for shielded-transaction data.
Collaborative Live Editing N/A
Rich Text Editing N/A
Mobile Support Via third-party wallets (Zashi — the official ECC-developed wallet; Ywallet, etc.).
Web Support N/A directly; wallet ecosystem provides access.
Native Apps zcashd/zebra — two independent node implementations; Zebra is a from-scratch Rust rewrite maintained by ECC, a genuine second independent implementation.
Terms Free, open-source (MIT, confirmed; note the bundled Berkeley DB 6.2.x dependency is separately AGPL-licensed); network fees paid to miners, with a dev-fund percentage routed to the ecosystem.
Funds Dev fund is disclosed at a protocol level (a defined percentage of block rewards); allocation via Zcash Community Grants' community-elected process.
Based On Forked from Bitcoin Core's codebase, adding the Zerocash zk-SNARK protocol.
P2P Architecture Bitcoin-derived gossip network of full nodes; PoW-based (current as of this research pass).
Overlay Network Global, permissionless.
Content Addressing No.
Local-First N/A
E2EE Shielded transactions (zk-SNARKs) are the closest analog to E2EE in this matrix's vocabulary — genuinely optional/opt-in per-transaction, unlike Monero's default-on model. This privacy-by-default vs. privacy-optional distinction is the same affordance-vocabulary gap folded into Story 9.42.
CRDTs Lib N/A
Byzantine Fault Tolerance Nakamoto-consensus-equivalent (PoW longest-chain).
Signature ECDSA (secp256k1) for transparent transactions; zk-SNARK proofs (not a signature scheme) authorize shielded transactions.
Permissions Permissionless.
Semantic Web Compatibility No.
Smart Contract No.
Protocol Stack Position Base-layer settlement (Layer 1).
Asset / Value Embedding Native (ZEC) only.
Protocol Maturity / Standardization Mature, mainnet since 2016, no formal external standards body; Zebra's emergence as an independent second client is a meaningful maturity/decentralization signal.

Relationships

How this tool connects to other tools and organizations, from relationships reviewed by the OpenHaven data steward. They describe how projects connect, not how good they are.

Based on
Forked from
Speaks protocol