Skip to main content

What is Specter

Specter is a sovereign Layer 1 blockchain purpose-built for data privacy. It runs on Cosmos SDK v0.53.2 with CometBFT consensus and provides full EVM compatibility, meaning any Solidity smart contract, Ethereum wallet, or dApp framework works out of the box.

What makes Specter different​

Specter's core innovation is the Ghost Protocol — a commit-reveal system that enables private data operations directly at the consensus layer.

How it works in one sentence​

You destroy value by committing it (tokens are actually burned), and you mint fresh value when you reveal it with a zero-knowledge proof — with no link between the two operations.

Key architecture decisions​

DecisionWhat it means
Burn-and-mint modelNo liquidity pool or escrow contract. Tokens are destroyed on commit and created fresh on reveal via the chain's BankKeeper. This eliminates pool-based attack vectors.
Ghostmint precompile at 0x0808Smart contracts can call the chain's native mint/burn operations directly through an EVM precompile. Only governance-authorized contracts can invoke it.
Poseidon hashingCommitments use the ZK-friendly Poseidon hash function. The PoseidonT3 library is deployed on-chain (~55KB bytecode, enabled by a custom MaxCodeSize of 64KB).
Groth16 on BN254Zero-knowledge proofs are 256 bytes, verified in a single pairing check using Ethereum's ecPairing precompile (~200K gas).
Off-chain tree, on-chain rootsThe Merkle tree is built off-chain by relayer services (gas-efficient), with roots committed on-chain. A history window of the last 100 roots allows reveals against recent state.
Programmable policiesReveal conditions (timelocks, destination restrictions, threshold witnesses) are enforced on-chain without compromising privacy.

The tech stack​

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              Applications               │
│   (Solidity contracts, dApps, wallets)  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│              EVM Layer                  │
│   (go-ethereum fork, MaxCode 64KB)      │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│          Ghostmint Precompile           │
│   (0x0808 — native mint/burn bridge)    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│            Cosmos SDK v0.53.2           │
│   (BankKeeper, staking, governance)     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│          CometBFT Consensus             │
│   (BFT PoS, instant finality, 1-2s)    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Who this documentation is for​

  • Smart contract developers — deploy Solidity contracts, integrate with Ghost Protocol
  • dApp builders — build frontends that interact with the chain via standard Ethereum tooling
  • Infrastructure operators — run nodes, validators, and relayer services
  • Protocol integrators — use the commit-reveal system for privacy-preserving applications beyond tokens

Next steps​