Introducing the X Ray Protocol Upgrade
The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) recently confirmed that a new protocol upgrade called X Ray is on the way. The goal is simple but ambitious: to give developers the tools to build privacy-focused applications while maintaining the open and transparent nature that Stellar is known for.
What X Ray Brings to the Stellar Network
The plan was shared by SDF Chief Product Officer Tomer Weller at Meridian 2025. His message was clear: privacy on public blockchains should not be an afterthought. It needs strong foundations before advanced features can safely exist. X Ray is the first major building block in that long-term strategy.
X Ray introduces native support for two cryptographic tools that are widely used in zero-knowledge systems. Zero-knowledge proofs allow someone to prove that something is true without revealing the underlying data. This is akin to proving you are over 18 without sharing your specific birthday.
X-Ray (Protocol 25) prioritizes privacy. Going live on mainnet on Jan 22nd at 1700 UTC, X-Ray introduces two key primitives: BN254 and Poseidon. These primitives will provide the foundation for developers to build privacy applications on the network. https://t.co/XeKec5s4E6
— Stellar (@StellarOrg) January 14, 2026
The first tool is BN254, a pairing-friendly elliptic curve that many zero-knowledge systems already rely on. In simple terms, it helps blockchains verify complex proofs quickly and reliably. The second tool is Poseidon, a hash function built specifically for zero-knowledge proofs. Hash functions scramble data into a fixed output, and Poseidon performs this task efficiently for privacy-focused systems.
Stellar Network Developments
Space and Time, a data blockchain that secures on-chain finance, is now indexing on Stellar. This development will give developers faster and more reliable access to blockchain data. At Stellar House Miami, the Stellar team explained how this partnership allows builders to easily query trusted data for applications like payments, DeFi, and analytics without requiring heavy infrastructure work.
ICYMI, @spaceandtime is now indexing on Stellar. At Stellar House Miami, @chiefbuidl explained how developers can leverage this partnership to access the data they need. Plus, Space and Time is developing a Stellar smart contract to bring the ZK verifier onto the network. pic.twitter.com/9HzOufMCuQ
— Stellar (@StellarOrg) January 9, 2026
Looking ahead, Space and Time is also developing a Stellar smart contract that will bring a zero-knowledge verifier directly onto the network. This will enable developers to verify data and computations on-chain while preserving the privacy of sensitive information.