250 lines
10 KiB
Markdown
250 lines
10 KiB
Markdown
![Zebra logotype](https://www.zfnd.org/images/zebra-logotype.png)
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---
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[![](https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/workflows/CI/badge.svg?branch=main)](https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/actions?query=workflow%3ACI+branch%3Amain)
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[![codecov](https://codecov.io/gh/ZcashFoundation/zebra/branch/main/graph/badge.svg)](https://codecov.io/gh/ZcashFoundation/zebra)
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![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT%2FApache--2.0-blue.svg)
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## Contents
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- [Contents](#contents)
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- [About](#about)
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- [Beta Releases](#beta-releases)
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- [Getting Started](#getting-started)
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- [Known Issues](#known-issues)
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- [Future Work](#future-work)
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- [Documentation](#documentation)
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- [Security](#security)
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- [License](#license)
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## About
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[Zebra](https://zebra.zfnd.org/) is the Zcash Foundation's independent,
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consensus-compatible implementation of a Zcash node, currently under
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development. It can be used to join the Zcash peer-to-peer network, which helps
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keeping Zcash working by validating and broadcasting transactions, and maintaining
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the Zcash blockchain state in a distributed manner.
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Please [join us on Discord](https://discord.gg/na6QZNd) if you'd
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like to find out more or get involved!
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Zcash is a cryptocurrency designed to preserve the user's privacy. Like most
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cryptocurrencies, it works by a collection of software nodes run by members of
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the Zcash community or any other interested parties. The nodes talk to each
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other in peer-to-peer fashion in order to maintain the state of the Zcash
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blockchain. They also communicate with miners who create new blocks. When a
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Zcash user sends Zcash, their wallet broadcasts transactions to these nodes
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which will eventually reach miners, and the mined transaction will then go
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through Zcash nodes until they reach the recipient's wallet which will report
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the received Zcash to the recipient.
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The original Zcash node is named `zcashd` and is developed by the Electric Coin
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Company as a fork of the original Bitcoin node. Zebra, on the other hand, is
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an independent Zcash node implementation developed from scratch. Since they
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implement the same protocol, `zcashd` and Zebra nodes can communicate with each
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other and maintain the Zcash network interoperably.
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If you just want to send and receive Zcash then you don't need to use Zebra
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directly. You can download a Zcash wallet application which will handle that
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for you. (Eventually, Zebra can be used by wallets to implement their
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functionality.) You would want to run Zebra if you want to contribute to the
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Zcash network: the more nodes are run, the more reliable the network will be
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in terms of speed and resistance to denial of service attacks, for example.
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These are some of the advantages or benefits of Zebra:
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- Better performance: since it was implemented from scratch in an async, parallelized way, Zebra
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is currently faster than `zcashd`.
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- Better security: since it is developed in a memory-safe language (Rust), Zebra
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is less likely to be affected by memory-safety and correctness security bugs that
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could compromise the environment where it is run.
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- Better governance: with a new node deployment, there will be more developers
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who can implement different features for the Zcash network.
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- Dev accessibility: supports more developers, which gives new developers
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options for contributing to Zcash protocol development.
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- Runtime safety: with an independent implementation, the detection of consensus bugs
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can happen quicker, reducing the risk of consensus splits.
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- Spec safety: with several node implementations, it is much easier to notice
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bugs and ambiguity in protocol specification.
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- User options: different nodes present different features and tradeoffs for
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users to decide on their preferred options.
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- Additional contexts: wider target deployments for people to use a consensus
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node in more contexts e.g. mobile, wasm, etc.
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## Beta Releases
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Every few weeks, we release a new Zebra beta [release](https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/releases).
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Zebra's network stack is interoperable with `zcashd`,
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and Zebra implements all the features required to reach Zcash network consensus.
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The goals of the beta release series are for Zebra to act as a fully validating Zcash node,
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for all active consensus rules as of NU5 activation.
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Currently, Zebra validates all of the documented Zcash consensus rules, but it may not validate any:
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- Undocumented rules derived from Bitcoin
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- Undocumented network protocol requirements
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## Getting Started
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Building `zebrad` requires [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install),
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[libclang](https://clang.llvm.org/get_started.html), and a C++ compiler.
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### Build and Run Instructions
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`zebrad` is still under development, so there is no supported packaging or
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install mechanism. To run `zebrad`, follow the instructions to compile `zebrad`
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for your platform:
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1. Install [`cargo` and `rustc`](https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install).
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2. Install Zebra's build dependencies:
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- **libclang:** the `libclang`, `libclang-dev`, `llvm`, or `llvm-dev` packages, depending on your package manager
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- **clang** or another C++ compiler: `g++`, `Xcode`, or `MSVC`
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3. Run `cargo install --locked --git https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra --tag v1.0.0-beta.5 zebrad`
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4. Run `zebrad start` (see [Running Zebra](user/run.md) for more information)
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If you're interested in testing out `zebrad` please feel free, but keep in mind
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that there is a lot of key functionality still missing.
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For more detailed instructions, refer to the [documentation](https://zebra.zfnd.org/user/install.html).
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### System Requirements
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The recommended requirements for compiling and running `zebrad` are:
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- 4+ CPU cores
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- 16+ GB RAM
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- 50GB+ available disk space for building binaries and storing finalized state
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- 100+ Mbps network connections
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We continuously test that our builds and tests pass on:
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The *latest* [GitHub Runners](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-github-hosted-runners/about-github-hosted-runners#supported-runners-and-hardware-resources) for:
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- Windows Server
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- macOS
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- Ubuntu
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Docker:
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- Debian Bullseye
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Zebra's tests can take over an hour, depending on your machine.
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We're working on making them faster.
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`zebrad` might build and run fine on smaller and slower systems - we haven't
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tested its exact limits yet.
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For more detailed requirements, refer to the [documentation](https://zebra.zfnd.org/user/requirements.html).
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#### Memory Troubleshooting
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If Zebra's build runs out of RAM, try setting:
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`export CARGO_BUILD_JOBS=2`
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If Zebra's tests timeout or run out of RAM, try running:
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`cargo test -- --test-threads=2`
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(cargo uses all the processor cores on your machine by default.)
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#### macOS Test Troubleshooting
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Some of Zebra's tests deliberately cause errors that make Zebra panic.
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macOS records these panics as crash reports.
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If you are seeing "Crash Reporter" dialogs during Zebra tests,
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you can disable them using this Terminal.app command:
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```sh
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defaults write com.apple.CrashReporter DialogType none
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```
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### Network Ports and Data Usage
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By default, Zebra uses the following inbound TCP listener ports:
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- 8233 on Mainnet
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- 18233 on Testnet
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Zebra needs some peers which have a round-trip latency of 2 seconds or less.
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If this is a problem for you, please
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[open a ticket.](https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/issues/new/choose)
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`zebrad`'s typical mainnet network usage is:
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- Initial sync: 30 GB download
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- Ongoing updates: 10-100 MB upload and download per day, depending on peer requests
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Zebra also performs an initial sync every time its internal database version changes.
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For more detailed information, refer to the [documentation](https://zebra.zfnd.org/user/run.html).
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#### Network Troubleshooting
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Some of Zebra's tests download Zcash blocks, so they might be unreliable depending on your network connection.
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You can set `ZEBRA_SKIP_NETWORK_TESTS=1` to skip the network tests.
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Zebra may be unreliable on Testnet, and under less-than-perfect network conditions.
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See our [roadmap](#future-work) for details.
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### Disk Usage
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Zebra uses up to 40 GB of space for cached mainnet data,
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and 10 GB of space for cached testnet data.
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RocksDB cleans up outdated data periodically,
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and when the database is closed and re-opened.
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#### Disk Troubleshooting
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Zebra's state commits changes using RocksDB database transactions.
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If you forcibly terminate Zebra, or it panics,
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any incomplete changes will be rolled back the next time it starts.
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So Zebra's state should always be valid, unless your OS or disk hardware is corrupting data.
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## Known Issues
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There are a few bugs in Zebra that we're still working on fixing:
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- [In rare cases, Zebra panics on shutdown #1678](https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/issues/1678)
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- See [#2209](https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/issues/2209) for an example.
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- These panics can be ignored, unless they happen frequently.
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- [Interrupt handler does not work when a blocking task is running #1351](https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/issues/1351)
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- Zebra should eventually exit once the task finishes. Or you can forcibly terminate the process.
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## Future Work
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In 2022, we intend to start adding RPC support and start adding wallet integrations.
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This phased approach allows us to test Zebra's independent implementation of the
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consensus rules, before asking users to entrust it with their funds.
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Features:
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- RPC functionality
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- Wallet functionality
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Performance and Reliability:
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- Reliable syncing on Testnet
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- Reliable syncing under poor network conditions
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- Additional batch verification
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- Performance tuning
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Currently, the following features are out of scope:
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- Mining support
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- Optional Zcash network protocol messages
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- Consensus rules removed before Canopy activation (Zebra checkpoints on Canopy activation)
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## Documentation
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The [Zebra website](https://zebra.zfnd.org/) contains user documentation, such
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as how to run or configure Zebra, set up metrics integrations, etc., as well as
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developer documentation, such as design documents. We also render [API
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documentation](https://doc.zebra.zfnd.org) for the external API of our crates,
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as well as [internal documentation](https://doc-internal.zebra.zfnd.org) for
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private APIs.
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## Security
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Zebra has a [responsible disclosure policy](https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/zebra/blob/main/SECURITY.md), which we encourage security researchers to follow.
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## License
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Zebra is distributed under the terms of both the MIT license
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and the Apache License (Version 2.0).
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See [LICENSE-APACHE](LICENSE-APACHE) and [LICENSE-MIT](LICENSE-MIT).
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