K Proof Generation Strategy for Native iOS DApp - Avoiding Centralized Backend

Technical Questions
1

Hi Midnight team and community,

I’m evaluating Midnight for a native iOS app (Swift) focused on digital inheritance. The privacy features of Midnight are a perfect fit for this use case - inheritance relationships and asset information should remain confidential.

Background

I have experience porting TypeScript/JavaScript blockchain SDKs to Swift (previously did this for Arweave and Biconomy). My plan is to port only the minimal required components of the Midnight SDK rather than the full stack.

The Challenge

The proof server architecture is the key unknown for mobile. From the documentation, I understand that:

  • ZK proofs are generated locally/offline
  • Private inputs never leave the user’s device
  • The proof server validates contract logic without exposing data

My Question

What are the recommended approaches for ZK proof generation on mobile (specifically iOS)?

I see a few potential paths but would appreciate guidance:

  1. Native proof generation - Is there a portable proof generation library (C/Rust) that could be compiled for iOS? What are the computational requirements?
  2. WebAssembly - Could the JS proof generation code run via WASM on iOS with acceptable performance?
  3. Proof server as local process - Can the proof server component be packaged for mobile environments?
  4. Backend proof service - This works technically, but raises concerns:
    • Breaks the “private data never leaves device” guarantee
    • Introduces centralization (my server becomes a trust requirement)
    • Goes against Midnight’s privacy architecture

Why Backend is Problematic

For a digital inheritance app, users need assurance that their inheritance data isn’t exposed to any third party - including the app developer. A centralized proof generation service would require users to trust my infrastructure with their private inputs, which defeats much of Midnight’s privacy value proposition.

What Would Help

  • Any existing mobile/iOS proof generation examples or roadmap
  • Performance benchmarks for proof generation (memory, CPU, time)
  • Recommended architecture patterns for mobile DApps
  • Whether the Midnight team has mobile SDK plans

Thank you for any guidance. Happy to share more details about the use case if helpful.

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2

Guys, is there no expertise on this forum to answer this question? Charles is calling on us to build on Midnight, so here I am—ready to tap into the inheritance market (over $84 trillion is expected to transfer between generations over the next 25 years)—but nobody seems able to answer what should be a simple question.

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