Read this article on bsc.news Zcash (@Zcash) $ZEC developers have proposed cutting the network's target block interval from 25 seconds to 20 seconds, days after the NU7 upgrade went live on m
Zcash (@Zcash) $ZEC developers have proposed cutting the network's target block interval from 25 seconds to 20 seconds, days after the NU7 upgrade went live on mainnet.
Developers ValarDragon and Evan Forbes submitted a draft Zcash Improvement Proposal (ZIP) on the Zcash community forum on Sunday. They want the change included in the next community poll and considered for the upcoming NU7.1 network upgrade.
According to the proposal, the shorter interval would improve the user experience for point-of-sale payments, exchange deposits and cross-chain swaps.Cutting the interval from 25 to 20 seconds shortens the expected cadence by roughly 20%.
The draft is not an activated protocol change. The next steps are procedural: inclusion in a community poll, followed by consideration for NU7.1.
The developers say the change would leave key parameters intact. They stated that a shorter interval would not increase the network's total daily privacy transaction capacity or alter Zcash's existing issuance schedule. According to TechFlow, citing the Zcash governance forum, the proposal plans to keep the 2 MB block size cap and adjust parameters such as privacy transaction operations and block rewards proportionally.Stress tests in a simulated network of 80 miners across 12 regions put the orphan block rate for 20-second blocks at roughly 1.9% to 3.3%.
NU7 activated on mainnet at block height 3,543,405, reducing the target block interval from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, according to The Block. The upgrade also activated the Network Sustainability Mechanism, which removes 60% of each block's transaction fees from circulation and stores them in a public reserve.The mechanism is designed to preserve Zcash's 21 million ZEC supply cap.
Shorter intervals carry trade-offs. Shorter block intervals increase the risk of orphan blocks, which are valid blocks discarded because a competing block reaches the network first.Developers expected an orphan rate below 1% on the live network, because actual mining is more concentrated and blocks contain far fewer transactions.
NU7 also had side effects for some holders. The Sprout privacy pool was retired, making around 12,224 ZEC unspendable.No recovery mechanism had received approval as of Friday.
The 20-second proposal now moves to community discussion. If it gains support in the poll, it could be implemented through NU7.1.
Cointelegraph: Zcash devs propose another block time cut days after NU7 upgradeThe Block: Zcash's NU7 goes live on mainnet, cutting block time by threefoldTechFlow: Zcash community proposes reducing block time from 25 to 20 seconds
