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Concepts Introduction

Inco Lightning provides encrypted computation primitives for Solana programs. It enables confidential smart contracts where sensitive data remains encrypted throughout computation. The covalidator network processes encrypted operations off-chain while maintaining cryptographic guarantees.

Key Benefits

BenefitDescription
PrivacyValues remain encrypted on-chain
ComposabilityPrograms can perform arithmetic and logic on encrypted values
VerificationResults can be decrypted with cryptographic attestation

How It Works

  1. Client encrypts data using the covalidator’s public key
  2. Program receives ciphertext and creates an encrypted handle via CPI
  3. Operations execute on encrypted values through the Inco Lightning program
  4. Results are handles - 128-bit references to encrypted values stored off-chain
  5. Authorized parties can request attested decryption

Core Concepts