DRA

Bitcoin-Zcash Sidechain (Regtest Demo)

March 1, 2021Original source

On March 1, 2021, Paul demonstrates a Bitcoin-Zcash Drivechain sidechain in regtest, covering setup, sidechain activation, deposits, Blind Merged Mining, shielding, deshielding, and withdrawals back to the Bitcoin mainchain.

Highlights

Key Takeaways

Regtest Setup and Sidechain Activation

Paul begins by showing a practical local setup using Linux, Drivechain release binaries, and three graphical clients: the BIP300/301-enabled mainchain, a simple testchain, and the Zcash-based zside sidechain. The demo runs in regtest so blocks can be generated on demand, making the whole activation flow visible. After connecting the sidechains to the parent full node, sidechain proposals are created, blocks are mined, and both sidechains become active in sequence.

Deposits, Blind Merged Mining, and Shielded Balances

Once zside is active, Paul transfers mainchain coins into the sidechain by generating a deposit address, sending funds, and then using Blind Merged Mining so sidechain blocks are found in concert with mainchain blocks. After confirmations arrive on both chains, the deposited balance becomes available on zside. The demo then moves transparent coins into Zcash-style shielded addresses, showing fees, confirmation tracking, transparent and shielded balances, and how the interface exposes the history of these privacy-preserving operations.

Melt, Cast, and Drivechain Withdrawals

Paul highlights the Melt and Cast interface as a simplified way to handle shielding and deshielding with better privacy hygiene. Melt shields eligible coins, while Cast breaks balances into scheduled power-of-two outputs so many users can later deshield matching amounts. The demo then withdraws coins from zside back to the mainchain, showing withdrawal construction, the withdrawal explorer, the WT Prime object, miner upvoting, and the final return of coins to Bitcoin after the test voting period completes.