| name | proof-server:proof-server-integration |
| description | This skill covers how the Midnight proof server is invoked in practice — who calls it, the client-server contract, self-hosted vs wallet-delegated proving, network proof-server endpoints, production deployment behind a reverse proxy, and CORS. Use it for "who calls the proof server", "ProofProvider", "wallet-delegated proving", "proof server endpoint", "production proof server", "proof server behind a proxy", or wiring a DApp/SDK to a proof server. |
| version | 0.1.0 |
Proof Server Integration
How the Midnight proof server is invoked in practice — who calls it, the protocol it exposes, deployment modes, and where to find deeper detail.
For Docker setup and version-tag selection, see midnight-tooling:proof-server. For DApp-side provider assembly (React, Vite), see midnight-dapp-dev:core. For the full HTTP API reference, see proof-server:proof-server-api.
Who Calls the Proof Server
The proof server is not called directly by application code. The call is made by the midnight-js SDK via the ProofProvider abstraction:
DApp / CLI script
└─ midnight-js SDK (callTx / submitCallTx)
└─ ProofProvider.proveTx()
└─ POST /prove → proof server (port 6300)
The ProofProvider instance is created by the factory function:
httpClientProofProvider(proofServerUri, zkConfigProvider)
from @midnight-ntwrk/midnight-js-http-client-proof-provider. The DApp supplies the URI; the SDK handles binary serialization of the request body and response parsing.
Do not build the /prove request body yourself — the binary format is complex. Cross-reference proof-server:proof-server-api for the serialization spec if you need low-level detail.
For provider assembly (where httpClientProofProvider fits into the full MidnightProviders object), see midnight-dapp-dev:core and midnight-dapp-dev:midnight-sdk.
Invocation Modes
| Mode | Description | When to use |
|---|
| Self-hosted local | Proof server at localhost:6300; DApp or test suite constructs httpClientProofProvider("http://localhost:6300", zkConfigProvider) | Local development; devnet; CI pipelines |
| Wallet-delegated | The wallet extension (e.g. Lace) supplies proving on the user's behalf via dappConnectorProofProvider; DApp does not connect to a proof server directly | Browser DApps where users have a Midnight wallet; see midnight-wallet:wallet-sdk |
| CI / headless | Self-hosted with --no-fetch-params and reduced --num-workers to cap resource use | Automated test runs; pre-cached params scenarios |
| Remote / production | Proof server behind a reverse proxy; URI passed as a runtime configuration value | Staging/production DApps; multi-user environments |
Detailed deployment and hardening notes are in references/network-and-deployment.md and proof-server:proof-server-operations.
Client-Server Contract
Request and Response
ProofProvider.proveTx() POSTs a binary-encoded proof request to /prove and receives a binary-encoded proof response. The encoding is handled entirely by the SDK — application code only sees typed TypeScript values.
For the binary serialization format and endpoint details, see proof-server:proof-server-api.
CORS
The proof server uses Cors::permissive(): all origins are accepted, no credential restrictions. This is appropriate for local/internal use. For public or multi-tenant deployments, place the server behind a reverse proxy that enforces allowed origins.
Backpressure
| HTTP status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|
503 Service Unavailable | Worker pool saturated; server is too busy | Back off and retry; check /ready for utilisation |
429 Too Many Requests | Proof server job queue full (--job-capacity > 0); request rejected at intake | Increase --job-capacity or add workers — see proof-server:proof-server-configuration |
For status-code details, see proof-server:proof-server-api (status-codes reference) and midnight-status-codes:status-codes.
Version Compatibility
The SDK, proof server, and Compact compiler must be kept in sync. Version mismatches are a common source of proof generation failures.
Compact compiler version
→ determines proof version string (GET /proof-versions)
→ must match proof server's supported proof versions
→ must match SDK's expected proof format
Check /proof-versions on the running server to confirm compatibility. See proof-server:proof-server-operations for diagnosing version mismatch errors.
Deployment
For production hardening (reverse proxy, TLS, CORS restrictions, load-balancer health probes), see:
references/network-and-deployment.md — deployment modes and production checklistproof-server:proof-server-operations — monitoring, scaling, and troubleshooting
For Docker images and configuration flags (--port, --num-workers, --no-fetch-params), see midnight-tooling:proof-server and proof-server:proof-server-configuration.
References
| Name | Description | When used |
|---|
references/network-and-deployment.md | Deployment modes, production hardening, reverse proxy, CORS context | Choosing a deployment mode; production checklist |
Cross-references
| Skill | What it covers |
|---|
midnight-dapp-dev:core | Full DApp provider assembly including where httpClientProofProvider fits |
midnight-dapp-dev:midnight-sdk | ProofProvider type, httpClientProofProvider, dappConnectorProofProvider, SDK packages |
midnight-wallet:wallet-sdk | Wallet-delegated proving via dappConnectorProofProvider |
midnight-tooling:proof-server | Docker setup, version-tag selection, running the server |
proof-server:proof-server-api | Full HTTP API: endpoints, binary serialization, status codes, CORS policy |
proof-server:proof-server-operations | Monitoring, health checks, troubleshooting, scaling, version compatibility |
