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Horizen Documentation

website·Indexed 35 days ago

https://docs.horizen.io

Documentation for the Horizen ecosystem, covering the Horizen DAO Constitution, decentralized governance, and ZenIP processes. Includes technical specifications for the EVM-compatible chain, such as JSON-RPC endpoints, network contract addresses for $ZEN, mainnet and testnet (Base Sepolia) configurations, and guides for using supported wallets, developer tools like Foundry, and cross-chain bridging via Stargate.

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What's inside Horizen

  1. Overview of Horizen Privacy Tools

    Horizen provides two primary confidentiality primitives for developers, which can be used independently or in combination depending on the application's privacy and correctness requirements. Additionally, Horizen supports any EVM-compatible privacy implementations integrated at the application level.

    • Vela: Uses a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) approach to keep inputs and computation private during execution.
    • zkVerify: Uses zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to prove that computation was executed correctly and posts these attestations on-chain to enable dApp interoperability.

  2. Overview of Horizen Chain

    Horizen is an EVM-compatible Layer-3 blockchain built on top of Base (an Ethereum Layer-2 powered by the OP Stack). It is designed for private onchain finance and compliance-forward application development, providing regulatory-compliant and auditable confidentiality. Because it is EVM-compatible, developers can use standard Solidity without needing to learn new languages or commit to a fixed privacy model. Horizen inherits the security, composability, and liquidity of Base and utilizes privacy primitives such as Vela (a Trusted Execution Environment/TEE product) and zkVerify (a zero-knowledge proof verification and attestation protocol).

  4. Overview of the Horizen Special Council

    The Special Council acts as a steward for the Horizen DAO and provides oversight of the Foundation, with a primary focus on the security of the Horizen DAO and its ecosystem. It serves as a line of defense before a ZenIP is put to a final vote by Tokenholders. The Special Council replaces the former Horizen Community Council (HCC). Key activities include holding emergency operational meetings to address security threats to the DAO, the Foundation, Tokenholders, or any protocol utilizing the $ZEN token.

  5. Overview of the Horizen Mainnet Migration Claim Process

    Claiming assets during the Horizen migration is a two-step process. Users must first generate a cryptographic signature using their legacy Horizen wallet to prove ownership, and then submit that claim using their new wallet on the Base network.

  6. Overview of Horizen DAO Governance

    The Horizen DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) serves as the primary framework for decentralized governance within the Horizen ecosystem. It allows network participants and community members to propose and effectuate changes to influence the future direction of the project.

  7. Overview of the Horizen DAO Constitution

    The Horizen DAO Constitution establishes the binding rules, procedures, processes, and ethos for both the Horizen DAO and The Horizen Foundation. It defines the decentralized governance framework where Tokenholders are responsible for introducing ideas, making formal proposals, and executing implementations to support the ecosystem.

  10. Understand the Horizen Chain Governance framework

    Horizen utilizes a dual-track governance process for implementing improvement proposals, with $ZEN serving as the governance token.

    1. Technical Proposals: Follow a 'rough consensus' model. Implementation occurs when a majority of network participants on the applicable chain choose to run the new software version (similar to the Bitcoin and Ethereum models).
    2. Non-Technical Proposals: Enacted via a directive to the Foundation through a Tokenholder Vote.

    All DAO-approved proposals must be reviewed by the Special Council for adherence to the Horizen DAO mission, the Constitution, Foundation Governing Documents, and applicable law before a ZenIP or EONIP is formally adopted. Once approved, the Foundation is responsible for implementing the actions described in the proposal.

  11. Understand the vela-nova private ledger application

    The vela-nova example application is a private account-based ledger that operates entirely within a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE). It ensures privacy by encrypting balances, transfers, and transaction history, meaning external observers can only see attested state roots on-chain rather than the actual underlying data.

  12. Understand Horizen Foundation governance and director requirements

    The Horizen Foundation operates under Cayman Islands law, which mandates that the foundation must maintain at least one director and one supervisor at all times. Directors hold a fiduciary duty to the foundation and are responsible for its management, operations, and the execution of contracts and agreements.

    Governance is integrated with the Horizen DAO: members of the DAO can remove directors and supervisors through the ZenIP process, provided the foundation is not left without a director or supervisor during the transition.