Midnight | NIGHT

Overview

◾Midnight is a privacy-focused Layer 1 blockchain associated with the Cardano ecosystem. It is designed to let applications combine publicly verifiable activity with confidential data handling, including the use of zero-knowledge proofs and selective disclosure. NIGHT is its unshielded utility token. Registered NIGHT can generate DUST, a separate resource used to pay for Midnight transactions; NIGHT itself is not spent as the transaction fee. Potential uses include applications that need to verify information while limiting what sensitive data appears publicly. The network is following a phased rollout, so planned access and decentralization should not be described as complete. ◾Midnight is a specialized Layer 1 network that operates alongside Cardano. Its architecture supports public and private states, allowing developers to decide which information an application reveals and which information it keeps confidential. Zero-knowledge proofs can verify certain claims or actions without publishing all the underlying data. Developers use Midnight’s Compact language to build privacy-focused smart contracts. ◾The network separates its economic asset from its transaction resource. NIGHT is an unshielded utility token. Holders can register NIGHT and designate an address to generate DUST, which powers network transactions. Applications can also sponsor users’ DUST costs. This distinction matters: NIGHT is not consumed as ordinary transaction gas. ◾Midnight announced its live network in March 2026 with a phased approach to application deployment and decentralization. Its initial block producers are permissioned, while broader decentralization remains part of the roadmap. Governance rights, future incentives, and any future staking functionality should not be described as fully active today. The network’s privacy features also do not mean every transaction or every piece of information is hidden; its design includes unshielded public activity.

Project features

• Public and private application state
• zero-knowledge proof support
• selective disclosure
• Compact smart contract language
• NIGHT generation of DUST
• application-sponsored DUST costs
• phased network decentralization