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Roadmap and Prior Art

Why This Hasn't Been Built Before​

Zbay tried (2019-2021). Same basic idea -- names via Zcash memos. Failed because:

  • Every user had to scan the entire chain (hours, getting slower every day)
  • No verification without scanning
  • No anti-squatting (free names = squatter paradise)
  • Tried to be a messaging app too

What ZNS does differently: Separate indexing (heavy) from verification (lightweight SP1 proof). Per-registration proofs verified in seconds. Tiered pricing discourages squatting. Public viewing key for anyone to run an indexer.

The BRC-20 ecosystem proved the pattern. Billions of dollars of tokens on Bitcoin use this architecture -- deterministic indexers, off-chain state, cumulative hash verification. ZNS adds mathematical proofs (SP1).

What's Done​

  • Name registration (REGISTER) with Ed25519 signatures
  • Signed management API (UPDATE, TRANSFER, LIST, DELIST, CONFIRM_SALE)
  • Escrow marketplace (LIST/BUY) with shielded payments
  • SP1 proof pipeline (scanner -> DB -> prover daemon -> API)
  • SMT root persistence + state API
  • REST API (19 endpoints), 112 tests
  • Railway deployment (testnet)

What's Next​

  • Automated escrow payout daemon
  • SP1 proofs for UPDATE/TRANSFER/BUY operations
  • Wallet integration (Zashi)
  • Web resolver and browser extension

Future Extensions​

  • Subdomains -- pay.alice.zec delegated by the name owner
  • Cross-chain via ENS -- alice.zec resolvable from Ethereum via CCIP-Read
  • ZSA migration -- names as private NFTs with trustless escrow
  • Stealth address resolution -- unique payment address per sender

References​