ROUTING / PRIVACY MECHANISMS

Confidential routing and ZK shielding

Reviewed October 1, 2026 · Original DarkSwap guide

Confidential routing adds restricted processing to a cross-chain swap. It can keep processing details away from public execution while coordinating a supported route. Zcash shielding is a different privacy mechanism, not another name for this routing.

Confidential processing, not a shielded pool

NEAR’s May 27, 2026 explanation describes a private shard with independent, permissioned validators. Encryption and restricted visibility protect processing within that environment, rather than requiring client-side proof generation. The useful distinction is confidential execution of swap details inside a provider boundary—not erasure of the source or destination chain’s history.

This is not a ZK shielded pool. The permissioned validators are part of the trust boundary. It does not establish guarantees of anonymity, unlinkability, or MEV protection.

How Zcash shielding differs

Zcash’s shielded pools use zero-knowledge proofs to validate transfers without publicly revealing protected transaction details. Privacy depends on the actual addresses, wallet and transfer path; a transparent transfer is not shielding.

Galaxy’s November 4, 2025 research discusses Zcash’s shielded pools and Zashi wallet’s cross-chain intent integration. That context is not evidence that DarkSwap integrates Zashi, shields funds, delivers native ZEC through Privacy swap, or guarantees no transaction links.

What DarkSwap supports today

Privacy swap requests NEAR Intents 1Click basic confidentiality for both the dry preview and deposit order. The quickstart supports origin-chain to destination-chain confidential swaps without requiring embedded balances or signed-intent execution. DarkSwap uses that manual-deposit flow: choose a Solana input and supported destination, supply a recipient and Solana refund address, review the quote, then fund the instructions yourself. DarkSwap does not sign your wallet transaction.

There is no advanced-mode UI, confidential wallet balance, or Zcash shielded-pool integration here. The near.com confidential-balance and wallet interfaces described by NEAR are not DarkSwap features. Privacy swap permits Solana, NEAR, Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Polygon and BNB Chain, subject to a live quote—not native Zcash. The provider’s broader chain documentation lists only transparent Zcash t1/t3 addresses; that does not enable ZEC delivery here.

Solana deposits are public, and destination transfers may be public. Amounts, timing, provider records and external data may associate activity. Not connecting a wallet is a funding choice, not a privacy guarantee.

For both routes’ capabilities and verification limits, read the route comparison and privacy limitations.

Sources & review

Original summary; all four sources reviewed October 1, 2026. Documentation and live support can change.

NEAR: How Confidential Intents works — May 27, 2026.
NEAR Intents: Confidential swaps quickstart — reviewed October 1, 2026.
NEAR Intents: Chain support — reviewed October 1, 2026.
Galaxy: Zcash, privacy and Zashi research — November 4, 2025.