AI disclosure: drafted by Basis Desk's AI newsroom and machine-checked against the primary sources listed below — how we use AI. Originally published on Basis Desk.
The exchange transitioned to the Rust-based client to handle higher block frequency ahead of Zcash's planned block-time reduction to 25 seconds in November.
Key points
- Gemini migrated its Zcash infrastructure from Zebra to Zakura, an open-source Rust-based full-node client.
- The migration prepares the exchange for the NU7 upgrade in November, which cuts Zcash block times from 75 to 25 seconds.
- Zakura cut internal chain-sync times from nearly 24 hours to just over six hours and uses 12 GB pruned snapshots for rapid node recovery.
Cryptocurrency exchange Gemini has migrated its backend Zcash infrastructure to Zakura, an open-source full-node client written in Rust [1]. The transition replaces Zebra with a consensus-compatible fork designed to improve data pruning, chain synchronization, and node recovery times [1]. Gemini stated that user deposits and withdrawals remain unaffected by the backend migration [1]. At the time of writing, $ZEC was trading around $1,395.
The infrastructure overhaul responds directly to network parameters approved by the Zcash community [1]. On Sept. 14, coinholders voted to reduce Zcash's block generation time from 75 seconds to 25 seconds under the upcoming NU7 network upgrade targeted for November [1]. This tripling of block generation frequency requires node operators to process three times as many blocks over equivalent intervals, significantly increasing hardware performance and storage overhead demands [1].
Performance Benchmarks and Recovery Metrics
Gemini reported substantial operational improvements during its internal node testing [1]. While Zebra took close to 24 hours to sync to the chain tip in Gemini's environment, Zakura reached the chain tip in just over six hours [1]. Published benchmarks for Zakura showed full sync times dropping to roughly four hours and 20 minutes from approximately 21 hours on Zebra [1].
Additionally, Zakura leverages 12 GB pruned snapshots that bootstrap nodes roughly 680 times faster than standard peer-to-peer synchronization, allowing node rebuilds within minutes [1]. Zakura manages consensus and peer-to-peer networking while retaining standard Zcash RPC interfaces, enabling Gemini's payout systems to operate without interface changes [1]. The upgrade follows Gemini's previous implementations of Zcash upgrades, including shielded withdrawals in 2020, unified addresses and Orchard in 2025, and support for Orchard's replacement, Ironwood, earlier this summer [1].
Sources
- Gemini Preps for Faster Zcash With Move to Zakura — Primary document (discovered)
Basis Desk is a source-verified crypto newsroom. Market data, a free MCP server for AI agents and JSON APIs: basisdesk.news/developers. Not investment advice.
Top comments (0)