MIDNIGHT DASHBOARD
Live NIGHT token price tracker, Midnight Network overview, zero-knowledge proof explainer, and official resource links.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q1.What is Midnight?
Midnight is a privacy-focused blockchain built by IOG (Input Output Global) — the same organisation behind Cardano. Unlike most blockchains where all transaction data is publicly visible, Midnight is designed so that sensitive information never appears on-chain. Developers can build applications where users prove facts about themselves (age, eligibility, compliance) without ever exposing the underlying data.
Q2.What is NIGHT?
NIGHT is the governance and staking token of the Midnight Network. Holders use it to participate in protocol governance and to generate DUST (the resource token needed for private transactions). NIGHT can be held in compatible wallets like Lace and, as a Cardano partner chain token, has interoperability with the broader Cardano ecosystem.
Q3.What is DUST, and why does it exist?
DUST is Midnight's non-transferable resource token — think of it as the "gas" you burn to pay for private transactions. Unlike regular gas fees (which are paid in a tradeable coin), DUST cannot be bought, sold, or sent to another address. Per reported network documentation, it is generated passively by holding NIGHT (at roughly 0.714 DUST per NIGHT per day) and consumed when you transact. This design prevents fee markets from leaking transaction metadata — no one can watch a wallet spend DUST to infer activity. Note: exact rates are based on published documentation and may be updated by governance.
Q4.What is the DUST battery / cap?
Per reported network documentation, DUST accumulates up to a cap of 5 DUST per NIGHT held. This "battery" model prevents infinite accumulation and keeps the resource scarce. At the reported rate, a wallet would take approximately 7 days to charge from empty to the cap. If you stop holding NIGHT, your DUST balance begins to decay. These parameters are from published documentation — always check midnight.network for the latest confirmed values, as governance can adjust them.
Q5.What are zero-knowledge proofs (ZK proofs)?
A zero-knowledge proof is a cryptographic technique that lets one party (the prover) convince another party (the verifier) that a statement is true without revealing any information beyond the truth of that statement. Classic example: prove you are over 18 without showing your date of birth. On Midnight, ZK proofs are built into the protocol — your wallet generates proofs locally, and the blockchain only sees "this transaction is valid", never the amounts, addresses, or identity behind it.
Q6.What is selective disclosure?
Selective disclosure is the ability to share only the minimum necessary information. On Midnight, rather than exposing all your data to a verifier (a bank, an app, a regulator), you generate a ZK proof for a specific claim — "I am an EU resident", "I hold sufficient funds", "I am not sanctioned" — and the verifier receives only a cryptographic confirmation, not the raw data. This is the core concept behind the ZK Simulator tab on this dashboard.
Q7.What is Compact?
Compact is Midnight's smart contract language, designed to look and feel like TypeScript. A Compact contract is split into two parts: public logic that runs transparently on-chain, and private circuits that run off-chain on the user's machine and produce ZK proofs. This means the blockchain network verifies that rules were followed without ever seeing the private inputs — a fundamental departure from how Solidity or Plutus contracts work.
Q8.What is a zk-SNARK?
zk-SNARK stands for "Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge." It is the specific type of zero-knowledge proof Midnight uses. "Succinct" means the proof is small and fast to verify regardless of how complex the computation was. "Non-Interactive" means the prover generates the proof without back-and-forth communication with the verifier. Midnight's Compact language compiles smart contract logic into zk-SNARK circuits automatically.
Q9.How is Midnight related to Cardano?
Midnight is a partner chain to Cardano, meaning it runs alongside (not on top of) the Cardano mainnet. It uses Cardano Stake Pool Operators (SPOs) as part of its validator set, inheriting their economic security. ADA is used as collateral in the bridge between the two chains. Wallets like Lace support both networks, and assets can move between Cardano and Midnight via a native bridge.
Q10.What is the Kūkolu phase?
Kūkolu is the name of Midnight's Q1 2026 network phase — a federated mainnet stage. The DUST regeneration rate used in this dashboard's simulator (0.714 DUST/NIGHT/day) is based on documentation reported for this phase. These are not independently verified on-chain figures. Network parameters may be adjusted by governance, so always check midnight.network for the latest confirmed values.
Q11.Where does price data come from?
Price data is fetched from CoinGecko's public API and refreshes every 60 seconds. If NIGHT is not yet listed on CoinGecko, the dashboard shows a status message and will display live data automatically once the token appears on public markets. No API key or account is required.
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