/cardano-ppot

Perpetual Powers of Tau ceremony for the Cardano ecosystem

Cardano Perpetual Powers of Tau Ceremony

Overview

The Cardano Perpetual Powers of Tau is a cryptographic trusted setup ceremony designed to generate secure public parameters for Zero-Knowledge proof systems on the Cardano blockchain. This ceremony constructs partial zk-SNARK parameters for circuits up to depth 2^23 (~8 million constraints) using the BLS12-381 elliptic curve, which is the cryptographic foundation used by Cardano.

Objective

Generate trustworthy public parameters that enable the secure operation of Zero-Knowledge applications in the Cardano ecosystem. The ceremony ensures that no single party controls the final parameters, providing long-term security guarantees for zk-SNARK protocols.

Security Principle: As long as one participant behaves honestly and destroys their secret randomness ("toxic waste"), the entire setup remains secure and trustworthy.

Contribution Guidelines

You can find more information about how to contribute in our contribution guidelines

Registration and Communication

To participate you must:

Ceremony Progress

Round Participant Status Contribution Hash Attestation
0000 Coordinator ✅ Complete initial_challenge Genesis Parameters
0001 TBD 🕒 Pending - -
0002 TBD ⏳ Scheduled - -
0003 TBD ⏳ Scheduled - -
... ... ⏳ Scheduled - -

Target: 40+ verified contributions
Current: 1/40 (Genesis only)
Timeline: Q4 2025 - Q1 2025

Ceremony Process

1. Initialization

The coordinator generates the initial challenge file containing the starting Powers of Tau parameters.

2. Contribution Phase

Each participant:

  • Downloads the current challenge file (~9GB)
  • Adds their secret randomness to extend the tau powers
  • Generates a response file with their contribution
  • Destroys their secret input (critical for security)

3. Verification

The coordinator verifies each contribution's mathematical correctness before incorporating it into the next challenge.

4. Finalization

After all contributions, a public beacon (unpredictable randomness source) is applied to ensure that even if all participants colluded, the final parameters remain secure.

5. Final Parameters

The ceremony produces a Common Reference String (CRS) ready for use in Zero-Knowledge proof systems across the Cardano ecosystem.

Logistics

Hardware Requirements

  • RAM: Minimum 16GB (recommended 32GB)
  • Storage: 20GB available space
  • CPU: Multi-core processor (contribution takes 3-4 hours)
  • Network: Stable internet for 9GB downloads/uploads

Coordination

  • Communication: Official Twitter/X updates and GitHub repository
  • Registration: Public form for contributor sign-up
  • Scheduling: Organized time slots to prevent overlaps
  • Support: Technical assistance via official channels

Reward Structure

  • Regular Contributors: Receive ADA rewards after ceremony completion
  • Ad-honorem Contributors: Participate voluntarily to strengthen security
  • Test Transaction: Reward infrastructure tested before distribution

Participation

Prerequisites

  • Linux, macOS, or Windows system
  • Node.js (≥22.17.1) and pnpm (≥9.0.0)
  • GitHub account for contribution records
  • Basic command-line familiarity

Quick Start

# Install the CLI
git clone https://github.com/NicoSerranoP/brebaje.git
cd brebaje/apps/cli
chmod +x install.sh && ./install.sh

# Configure your identity
brebaje-cli config name "Your Full Name"
brebaje-cli config ceremony-repo https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/ceremony-repo-fork

# Contribute automatically (when scheduled)
brebaje-cli ppot auto-contribute ceremony-urls.json

Security Guidelines

  • ⚠️ Critical: Delete all secret randomness after contributing
  • 🔒 Keep your contribution files as proof of participation
  • 📱 Share your contribution on social media for transparency
  • 🔐 Use secure, unpredictable entropy sources for randomness

Technical Details

  • Elliptic Curve: BLS12-381 (Cardano native)
  • Circuit Depth: 2^24 constraints (~16M)
  • Challenge Size: ~9GB per round
  • Ceremony Type: Perpetual (ongoing security)

Repository Links

Contributing

  1. Register: Sign up via the official registration form
  2. Prepare: Install the CLI and configure your setup
  3. Schedule: Receive your contribution time slot
  4. Contribute: Follow the automated contribution process
  5. Verify: Submit your attestation and pull request

About

This ceremony is organized by the Cardano community to enable the CRS for Zero-Knowledge applications.

Questions? Check our troubleshooting guide or contact the ceremony coordinators.

Last updated: October 2025 | Ceremony Status: In Progress