Have you ever sat in a coffee shop, eavesdropping on developers arguing—loudly and passionately—over what ‘privacy on the blockchain’ should even mean? Once, the author found themselves in that very scenario. Strangely enough, it was privacy, not price action, that caught everyone’s imagination. Cardano’s Midnight, a chain most only whisper about in dev circles, seeks to answer what it means for data to be ‘protected but compliant.’ This (almost) first-hand look explores the stories and odd details behind the Midnight project, straight from developer insights and the untamed edge of Web3 thinking.
From Futurverse to Midnight: Serendipity and Substrate
Chance Encounters in Blockchain Careers
Sometimes, a career takes a turn because of pure luck. That’s exactly what happened to Justin Freevert. He wasn’t looking for Cardano’s next big thing. He was just working at Futurverse, a metaverse project built on Substrate, the modular blockchain framework. Then, a simple job search changed everything.
"I had first heard about partner chains after seeing a job description on IOG’s website that described partner chains. And funny enough, not long after that, a recruiter also from IOG reached out..."
Was it fate? Or just good timing? Either way, Freevert soon found himself at the center of Cardano’s new privacy-focused chain, Midnight.
Substrate: The Blockchain ‘Cheat Code’
Substrate isn’t just a buzzword. It’s the backbone for rapid blockchain launches. Both Futurverse and Midnight rely on it. Why? Because Substrate lets developers build blockchains like stacking Lego bricks—modular, flexible, and quick.
Futurverse: A metaverse project, already using Substrate.
Midnight: Cardano’s privacy chain, also built on Substrate.
The pattern is hard to ignore. Substrate is quietly becoming the go-to tool for ambitious blockchain projects. It’s almost like a ‘cheat code’ for launching new chains.
Partner Chains: Cardano’s Expansion Play
Cardano isn’t standing still. The idea behind partner chains is simple but bold:
Expand the Cardano ecosystem—fast.
Use Substrate for modular, feature-rich side chains.
Attract new developers and projects with easier launches.
Freevert’s journey from Futurverse to Midnight highlights more than personal luck. It signals a shift in how Cardano—and maybe the whole industry—plans to grow. Sometimes, the best innovations start with a job post and a bit of serendipity.
The Anatomy of a Partner Chain: Security Without Sharding
Not a Rollup. Not Sharding. Something Else?
Cardano’s architecture is often called monolithic. That means everything happens on one big chain, no splitting or sharding. But partner chains? They’re a different story. Some might think of rollups—those systems that bundle up transactions and send them back to the main chain. But that’s not what’s happening here.
As one expert put it:
“They’re closer to a side chain…they don’t roll anything up to Cardano like there’s no state or transactions they’re trying to aggregate… They’re more about sharing security of existing validators on Cardano.”
How Does Security Get Shared?
Validators—the folks who keep the network honest—are registered through a special contract on Cardano’s mainnet.
These validators don’t just pop up out of nowhere. They’re often existing Cardano Stake Pool Operators (SPOs), bringing with them the economic security of the main chain.
Key data like stake distribution and a state hash (think: a fingerprint of the chain’s current state) are shared with the partner chain.
That’s pretty much it for now. No massive data dumps. No global state being passed back and forth. Just the essentials—enough to keep things secure and in sync.
What’s Missing? And What’s Next?
There’s no shared global state yet. Each partner chain runs its own show, just borrowing security.
Governance bridges—ways for communities to make decisions across chains—are on the roadmap, but not live yet.
It’s a selective, almost minimalist approach. Partner chains get to spin up quickly, use Cardano’s validator muscle, and still offer unique features. The relationship is symbiotic, but not yet fully intertwined.
Selective Disclosure and the Myth of the Black Box Chain
Privacy with a Panic Button
Midnight’s core promise? Control over your own privacy. Users decide what to reveal about their transactions. It’s like having a secret safe, but with a panic button for when the authorities come knocking.
Selective disclosure lets users share only what’s needed—nothing more.
Compliance is possible, but privacy isn’t sacrificed.
"For midnight we slap on this additional layer of selective disclosure where users of this chain can selectively disclose details about their transactions for compliance reasons which is very important for a privacy chain."
Not Just a Black Box
Some call privacy chains “black boxes.” Midnight’s team disagrees. If someone needs to see a transaction—say, for a legal reason—the user can hand over a special key. That’s it. No need to open the whole box.
Authorities get what they need, but not everything.
Users stay protected. Developers too.
Why does this matter? It keeps developers out of legal hot water. Building a chain that’s too private can be risky. Midnight’s approach finds a balance—privacy, but with a safety net.
Building Data-Protected Apps
Developers aren’t left out. Midnight introduces Compact, a custom programming language. It’s a bit like TypeScript, but tailored for privacy. With Compact, developers can build data-protected apps—DApps that keep user data safe, but still allow for compliance when needed.
Zero-Knowledge Proofs power the privacy layer.
Developers test on a dedicated testnet using Compact.
Selective privacy isn’t just a technical trick. The Midnight team designed it for peace of mind. Users stay safe. Developers stay creative. And everyone gets a little more sleep at night—well, maybe.
Smart Contracts in the Shadows: How Midnight Reinvents DApps
The Rise of Private-First Smart Contracts
Not every blockchain contract needs to shout its secrets. Midnight, Cardano’s privacy chain, is flipping the script. Developers now write private-first smart contracts. What does that mean? Not all contract data is public. Instead, contracts can prove things about hidden state using zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs. Imagine a DApp that can vouch for you—without ever telling anyone what’s in your wallet. That’s not magic. That’s Midnight.
How Does It Work?
Private off-chain state: DApps and contracts interact with local, hidden data. This state lives in your browser or server. It’s never sent to a third-party proving service. No ZK rollup middlemen here.
Proof without exposure: ZK proofs let developers show something is true about private data, without exposing the data itself. For example, a DApp might prove your token balance is above a threshold—without revealing the actual number.
Compact developer experience: Midnight uses a new language, Compact. It’s like a minimal TypeScript, but made for privacy DApps. Web developers will feel right at home.
What Sets Midnight Apart?
No third-party ZK rollups: Proofs are local. The chain just checks them. That’s it.
Expanded control: Developers can operate on both public and private state, and even interoperate between them.
Flexible deployment: Off-chain state can stay on a server, browser, or even a developer’s machine. No need to trust outside services.
"Developers are able to prove properties about an off-chain state in addition to the normal onchain state that they’re able to reason about and they can kind of interoperate between those or send pieces back together..."
Midnight isn’t just another smart contract platform. It’s a new way to build DApps—where privacy isn’t an afterthought. It’s the foundation.
Wild Card: What Happens When You Upgrade Privacy?
Midnight isn’t just another blockchain. It’s more like a living organism, quietly evolving block by block. The chain tracks adoption rates in real time, waiting for a tipping point. Once enough nodes signal readiness, the upgrade kicks in—no central switch, no drama. Or is there?
The process is simple, at least on paper. The Midnight team describes it as a “hard fork like process,” but with a twist. As one developer put it:
“We basically want to support a hard fork like process for Midnight specifically… where… once we receive an amount that surpasses a configurable threshold then we… accept this, run this upgrade…”
It’s a technical ballet. Each block is counted, each upgrade tracked. When the threshold is met, the network moves forward together. No one left behind. Or so that’s the plan.
Governance: Still Under Construction
But who decides when to pull the trigger? That’s the tricky part. Right now, governance is minimal—just enough to keep the testnet running. The real vision? Something more robust, possibly rooted in Cardano’s own governance systems. For now, it’s “pseudo governance,” a placeholder until the real thing arrives.
Culture of Upgrades
Behind the scenes, the Midnight developers debate the mood of upgrade days. Should they be as dramatic as a TV cliffhanger, or as quiet as a routine code push? Opinions differ. Some want fireworks. Others prefer silence. Even in privacy tech, there’s room for a little irreverence.
Midnight doesn’t just protect privacy—it adapts, updates, and sometimes even jokes about itself. Governance is still being written, but the chain’s flexibility is already clear. The revolution? It’s happening, block by block.
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A big shoutout to https://www.youtube.com/@TheKusamarian for their incredible content! Be sure to check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfNBEVRpkfY&list=PLtyd7v_I7PGkq7KUe3ep3lFLgKG97Z2AO&index=12.
