Railgun (RAIL)
Railgun is a smart contract system designed to integrate Zero-Knowledge Privacy into on-chain decentralized applications (dApps) within the Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain (BSC), Polygon, and Arbitrum ecosystems. This technology offers users the ability to conduct transactions on these public blockchains while maintaining privacy.
Overview
Railgun serves as an interoperable Zero-Knowledge (ZK) privacy framework and a DeFi toolkit that allows users to transact and engage with decentralized finance (DeFi) on public blockchains privately. It is compatible with existing Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) dApps, chains, and liquidity networks, and is operational on Ethereum, BSC, Polygon, and Arbitrum. Founded in January 2021, Railgun focuses on securing DeFi trading and lending activities without the need for token bridges or layer-2 scaling solutions.
| Ticker | RAIL |
| Category | Smart Contract Platform |
| Website | https://railgun.org |
| @railgun_project | |
| Telegram | railgunproject |
| Contract Addresses | |
|---|---|
| ethereum | 0xe7...3d Copied! |
Privacy system
Public blockchain transactions typically involve four key elements: the sender, receiver, asset name, and asset quantity. Railgun enhances privacy by anonymizing these elements using private balances, which protect transaction details within the system. As a result, the identities of users and the specifics of their transactions remain confidential to outside observers.
Tech
Railgun employs zk-SNARKs (Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge) technology to encrypt wallet balances, transaction histories, and other details. This allows users to engage with public blockchains like Ethereum while keeping their activities private. The use of zero-knowledge proof wallet technology, such as the 0zk address, ensures that wallet information is secured and can only be accessed with the user's private key. Users can send any ERC-20 token to their private balance and use these tokens on DeFi platforms for activities like swaps and yields, all while maintaining privacy.
Components
Railgun integrated wallets
Railgun smart contracts can be integrated into any Ethereum/EVM wallet using the Railgun Wallet SDK. This integration includes features like 0zk addresses, shielding, and private DeFi operations with minimal development overhead. Several independent community developers have built frontend wallets through which users can access the Railgun protocol:
- Railway Wallet: Available on web, desktop, iOS, and Android, it offers a user-friendly interface and a complete suite of private DeFi apps, including swaps and yield functionalities.
- Terminal Wallet: An open-source command-line interface wallet available on Linux, Windows, and macOS, featuring privacy options like shielding and private transfers.
- TokenShielder: A frontend that allows users to shield assets from any Ethereum/EVM wallet by connecting their browser wallet and entering a 0zk address.
Developer tools
Railgun provides TypeScript SDKs for integrating privacy features into existing or new wallets and dApps. Users can create non-custodial Railgun Wallets with private zero-knowledge addresses (0zk), where any ERC-20 token or NFT can be shielded. Once shielded, tokens, balances, and transactions are encrypted, enabling private transfers and DeFi activities.
Vitalik Buterin on Railgun
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has highlighted the importance of privacy in cryptocurrency transactions and has used Railgun to protect his transaction details. His engagement with Railgun, including a notable 100 ETH transfer, underscores his support for the project's use of the Privacy Pools protocol. Buterin has stated that privacy is a normal aspect of blockchain technology, and he appreciates Railgun's efforts to ensure user privacy without compromising the system's integrity.