Dedicated Synchronizers

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Why Dedicated Synchronizers

• Privacy — Transaction data on a dedicated synchronizer is only visible to the stakeholder parties, not to the entire MainNet. You can hedge the “harvest now, decrypt later” quantum threat by keeping your contracts on a dedicated synchronizer.
• Performance — A dedicated synchronizer can be tuned for specific throughput and latency requirements without being affected by other network traffic.
• Control and Compliance — You may need your own synchronizer for regulatory, security, or operational reasons.
• Reserved bandwidth — You can view it as hardware and bandwidth reserved for your workload — still one network, adding capacity for everyone.

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How It Works

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Dedicated Synchronizer Requirements

• Canton Coin (CC) Fee Burning: a dedicated synchronizer’s validators will be required to burn CC on Canton Network in the near future.
• Global Synchronizer Compatibility: a dedicated synchronizer must remain compatible with the Global Synchronizer at all times. Validators are required to adopt mandated upgrades on a timely basis to maintain network interoperability.
• Maintained Global Synchronizer Connection: Organizations operating a dedicated synchronizer must maintain a persistent connection to the Global Synchronizer for accounting and settlement purposes. This connection is the mechanism by which fees are calculated and CC burn obligations are fulfilled.

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When to Use a Dedicated Synchronizer

• Your application processes high-volume transactions between a known set of participants so a dedicated synchronizer is more economical.
• Regulatory requirements mandate that transaction data stays within a specific jurisdiction or infrastructure.
• You need guaranteed performance characteristics independent of Global Synchronizer load.
• Your workflow involves bilateral or multilateral agreements that don’t need to be visible to the broader network. This is a hedge for the “harvest now, decrypt later” quantum threat.

• You only need maximum interoperability with other Canton Network applications and wallets.
• You prefer the operational simplicity of a single synchronizer connection.

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Deployment Models

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Self-Operated

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Operated by a Third Party

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Multi-Operator (BFT)

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Connecting to a Dedicated Synchronizer

@ bootstrap.synchronizer(synchronizerName = "my-private-sync", sequencers = Seq(sequencer1), mediators = Seq(mediator1), synchronizerOwners = Seq(sequencer1), synchronizerThreshold = PositiveInt.one, staticSynchronizerParameters = StaticSynchronizerParameters.defaults(ProtocolVersion.forSynchronizer))
    res1: PhysicalSynchronizerId = my-private-sync::122032922613...::35-0

@ participant1.synchronizers.connect_local(sequencer1, "my-private-sync")

@ participant1.synchronizers.list_connected()
    res3: Seq[ListConnectedSynchronizersResult] = Vector(
      ListConnectedSynchronizersResult(
        synchronizerAlias = Synchronizer 'my-private-sync',
        physicalSynchronizerId = my-private-sync::122032922613...::35-0,
        healthy = true
      )
    )

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Relationship with the Global Synchronizer

• Canton Coin operations always use the Global Synchronizer.
• Smart contracts, while residing solely on validators, can be assigned to any synchronizer, depending on your requirements.
• Cross-synchronizer transactions are possible when contracts on different synchronizers need to interact. Canton handles the coordination automatically or the synchronizer can be specified.

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Next Steps

• Hybrid Synchronizer Pattern — Combining public and dedicated synchronizers
• Deployment — Deploying extension synchronizer infrastructure
• Linking Validators — Multi-synchronizer validator configuration