From an app developer's perspective, this SDK will encapsulate the most complex aspects of using Zcash, freeing the developer to focus on UI and UX, rather than scanning blockchains and building commitment trees! Internally, the SDK is structured as follows:
| **LightWalletService** | Service used for requesting compact blocks |
| **CompactBlockStore** | Stores compact blocks that have been downloaded from the `LightWalletService` |
| **CompactBlockProcessor** | Validates and scans the compact blocks in the `CompactBlockStore` for transaction details |
| **OutboundTransactionManager** | Creates, Submits and manages transactions for spending funds |
| **Initializer** | Responsible for all setup that must happen before synchronization can begin. Loads the rust library and helps initialize databases. |
| **DerivationTool**, **BirthdayTool** | Utilities for deriving keys, addresses and loading wallet checkpoints, called "birthdays." |
| **RustBackend** | Wraps and simplifies the rust library and exposes its functionality to the Kotlin SDK |
# Checkpoints
To improve the speed of syncing with the Zcash network, the SDK contains a series of embedded checkpoints. These should be updated periodically, as new transactions are added to the network. Checkpoints are stored under the [sdk-lib's assets](../sdk-lib/src/main/assets/co.electriccoin.zcash/checkpoint) directory as JSON files. Checkpoints for both mainnet and testnet are bundled into the SDK.
To update the checkpoints, see [Checkmate](https://github.com/zcash-hackworks/checkmate).
We generally recommend adding new checkpoints every few weeks. By convention, checkpoints are added in block increments of 10,000 which provides a reasonable tradeoff in terms of number of checkpoints versus performance.
There are two special checkpoints, one for sapling activation and another for orchard activation. These are mentioned because they don't follow the "round 10,000" rule.
