What is Pirate Chain? How It Works & Where to Use It

Overview

Pirate Chain at a glance.

Pirate Chain launched in August 2018, built by developers from the Komodo community around one requirement: every transaction is shielded. Where some privacy coins make shielding optional, Pirate Chain only supports private, zk-SNARK-shielded transfers. Here is how it works and what it is used for, not the price.

Total value locked (DeFi)

n/a

Value locked in DeFi protocols on Pirate Chain. Updated Sep 19, 2026. Source: DefiLlama.

Native token

ARRR

Used for fees and securing the network. See the live ARRR price.

How it works

How Pirate Chain works.

Pirate Chain uses Komodo’s delayed Proof of Work design. At intervals, a snapshot of Pirate Chain’s own blockchain is notarized into a Bitcoin transaction by a set of elected notary nodes, permanently recording that chain state on Bitcoin. Once a block has been notarized this way, the network will not accept a reorganization that tries to rewrite it, meaning an attacker would need to compromise Bitcoin itself, not just Pirate Chain, to rewrite settled history.

Consensus: Delayed Proof of Work (dPoW), notarized to Bitcoin

Pirate Chain uses Komodo’s delayed Proof of Work design. At intervals, a snapshot of Pirate Chain’s own blockchain is notarized into a Bitcoin transaction by a set of elected notary nodes, permanently recording that chain state on Bitcoin. Once a block has been notarized this way, the network will not accept a reorganization that tries to rewrite it, meaning an attacker would need to compromise Bitcoin itself, not just Pirate Chain, to rewrite settled history.

100% shielded transactions

Pirate Chain only supports zk-SNARK-shielded transfers. There is no transparent transaction type, so privacy is not an opt-in choice a user can forget to make.

zk-SNARKs

Zero-knowledge proofs let the network verify a transaction is valid without revealing the sender, receiver, or amount.

Delayed Proof of Work

Chain state is periodically notarized into the Bitcoin blockchain, giving Pirate Chain a security backstop from Bitcoin’s own Proof of Work.

Fair, capped supply

Pirate Chain launched with no ICO, no pre-mine, and no developer allocation. Its supply is capped at 200 million ARRR, issued entirely through block rewards.

Ecosystem & usage

What Pirate Chain is used for.

Pirate Chain’s ecosystem centers narrowly on private, shielded payments rather than smart contracts or DeFi.

Private payments

Every transfer on Pirate Chain is shielded by default, without needing to choose a private transaction type.

Store of value with privacy

Holders who want their balances and transaction history kept confidential use Pirate Chain rather than a transparent-by-default chain.

In Zypto App

Hold, swap and spend ARRR.

Be the reason Pirate Chain ships next.

Pirate Chain isn’t in Zypto App yet. Post the request to your followers, chains with the most demand get prioritised.

Request on X

FAQ

Common questions.

What is Pirate Chain?

Pirate Chain is a privacy-focused Layer 1 that launched in August 2018. Every transaction is shielded with zk-SNARKs by default, unlike chains where privacy is optional.

How does Pirate Chain secure its network?

Pirate Chain uses delayed Proof of Work, periodically notarizing its chain state into the Bitcoin blockchain so that settled blocks inherit a security backstop from Bitcoin.

Can Pirate Chain transactions be transparent?

No. Pirate Chain only supports shielded, zk-SNARK-protected transactions; there is no transparent transaction type.

When did Pirate Chain launch?

Pirate Chain launched in August 2018 with no ICO, pre-mine, or developer allocation.

Can I hold ARRR in Zypto App?

Not yet. ARRR isn't in Zypto App at the moment. You can hold it in any self-custodial wallet, and you can ask us to add Pirate Chain using the "Request Pirate Chain" button above.

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