midnight-core-conceptssmart-contracts

name	midnight-core-conceptssmart-contracts
description	Use when asking about Midnight smart contracts, Compact language basics, Impact VM, contract state separation, circuit entry points, deployment, or transaction execution model.
metadata	{"author":"aaronbassett"}

Midnight Smart Contracts

Midnight smart contracts are replicated state machines that process transactions to modify ledger state. Unlike traditional blockchains, they incorporate zero-knowledge proofs to enable data privacy.

Core Architecture

Contract = State Machine + ZK Proofs

Transaction = Public Transcript + Zero-Knowledge Proof

• Public transcript: Visible state changes
• ZK proof: Cryptographic validation that rules were followed

The proof demonstrates correct execution without revealing private inputs.

Compact Language

Compact is Midnight's domain-specific language for writing privacy-preserving contracts.

Contract Structure

// Ledger state (on-chain, public unless MerkleTree)
ledger {
  counter: Field;
  commitments: MerkleTree<32, Bytes<32>>;
}

// Circuit = entry point with ZK proof
export circuit increment(amount: Field): Void {
  ledger.counter = ledger.counter + amount;
}

// Witness = circuit with private inputs
export witness privateIncrement(
  secret: Field  // Private, not revealed
): Void {
  assert secret > 0;
  ledger.counter = ledger.counter + 1;
}

Key Constructs

Construct	Purpose
ledger { }	On-chain public state
export circuit	Public entry point, generates ZK proof
export witness	Entry point with private inputs
assert	Constraint that must hold (proven via ZK)

Public vs Private State

Public State (Ledger)

Everything in ledger { } is publicly visible except MerkleTree contents:

ledger {
  public_counter: Field;           // Visible to all
  public_address: Address;         // Visible to all
  hidden_set: MerkleTree<32, T>;   // Contents hidden
}

Private State

Private data exists only in the user's local environment:

• Witness inputs (never go on-chain)
• Local variables in circuit execution
• Merkle tree paths

export witness transfer(
  secret_key: Bytes<32>,    // Private - user's machine only
  amount: Field             // Private - user's machine only
): Void {
  // Prove authorization without revealing key
  const pub_key = persistentHash(secret_key);
  assert pub_key == ledger.authorized;
  // ... rest of logic
}

Execution Model

Transaction Phases

1. Well-formedness check (no ledger state needed)

   • Format validation
   • ZK proof verification
   • Schnorr proof verification
   • Balance checks

2. Guaranteed phase (must succeed)

   • Contract lookups
   • Zswap offer application
   • Sequential contract call execution
   • State persistence

3. Fallible phase (may fail without reverting guaranteed)

   • Similar mechanics but failure doesn't prevent ledger inclusion
   • Guaranteed effects persist regardless

State Transitions

Old State + Transaction → New State
                ↓
        Impact Program Execution
                ↓
        Effects must match declared effects
                ↓
        New state stored

Impact VM

Impact is the on-chain virtual machine that executes contract logic.

Characteristics

Property	Description
Stack-based	Operations push/pop from stack
Non-Turing-complete	Bounded execution, no infinite loops
Deterministic	Same input → same output always
Gas-bounded	Programs have cost limits

Stack Structure

[Context, Effects, State]
   ↓        ↓        ↓
 Tx data  Actions  Contract data

Developer Note

Developers write Compact, not Impact. Impact is an implementation detail visible when inspecting transactions.

Value Handling

Contracts interact with tokens through Zswap:

// Receive coins into contract
receive coins: Coin[];

// Send coins from contract
send value: QualifiedValue, to: Address;

Important: Coin operations are recorded in the public transcript but don't directly modify contract state. They're Zswap-level operations.

Contract Deployment

Contracts are deployed via deployment transactions:

Deployment Transaction = Contract State + Nonce
Contract Address = Hash(deployment data)

Practical Patterns

Simple Counter

ledger {
  count: Field;
}

export circuit increment(): Void {
  ledger.count = ledger.count + 1;
}

Private Authorization

ledger {
  owner_hash: Bytes<32>;
  value: Field;
}

export witness authorizedUpdate(
  owner_secret: Bytes<32>,
  new_value: Field
): Void {
  assert persistentHash(owner_secret) == ledger.owner_hash;
  ledger.value = new_value;
}

Commitment-Based State

ledger {
  commitments: MerkleTree<32, Bytes<32>>;
  nullifiers: Set<Bytes<32>>;
}

export witness spend(
  amount: Field,
  secret: Bytes<32>,
  path: MerkleTreePath<32, Bytes<32>>
): Void {
  const commitment = persistentCommit(amount, secret);
  assert ledger.commitments.member(commitment, path);

  const nullifier = persistentHash(commitment, secret);
  assert !ledger.nullifiers.member(nullifier);
  ledger.nullifiers.insert(nullifier);
}

References

For detailed technical information:

• references/compact-syntax.md - Complete language reference
• references/impact-vm.md - VM internals, opcodes, gas costs
• references/execution-semantics.md - Detailed transaction execution flow

Examples

Working contracts:

• examples/counter.compact - Minimal contract example
• examples/private-vault.compact - Private state management

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