What is Cardano Midnight?
Midnight is a data-protection sidechain in the Cardano ecosystem developed by Input Output. It uses zero-knowledge proofs so that DApps can process sensitive data — identity, financial and business information — without exposing that data on-chain. Midnight has its own native token (NIGHT) and its own DUST resource used to pay for shielded transactions, and it settles security to Cardano via a partner-chain design.
Is Midnight the same as Cardano?
No. Midnight is a separate network from the Cardano mainnet — you don't use ADA directly on Midnight and Cardano addresses are not Midnight addresses. What Cardano gives Midnight is a shared security and staking model plus an ecosystem of tools and wallets that can extend to support it. ADA holders can also participate in Midnight's "Glacier Drop" token distribution by proving ownership of eligible balances.
Does Eternl support Midnight?
At the time of writing, Eternl is a Cardano-native wallet: it manages ADA, Cardano native tokens (CNTs), CNFTs and Cardano DApp connections via CIP-30. Native Midnight support — sending NIGHT, holding DUST, connecting to Midnight DApps — depends on Midnight releasing stable end-user wallet APIs and on the Eternl team shipping that integration. Until then, Eternl users who want to interact with Midnight use the official Midnight-supported wallets alongside Eternl, and keep their ADA in Eternl for staking and Cardano DApps.
How to prepare as an Eternl user
- Keep your ADA in a non-custodial wallet like Eternl. Self-custody is what makes future airdrops and proofs possible.
- Consider a Ledger or Trezor for large balances — see our Connect a Ledger to Eternl guide.
- Follow the official Midnight channels for wallet-support announcements — do not enter your seed phrase into any "Midnight airdrop" site.
- Stake your ADA (see How to stake ADA with Eternl) to keep earning while you wait for Midnight tooling to mature.
Airdrop scams are the biggest Midnight-related risk right now. No legitimate Cardano or Midnight airdrop will ever ask for your 15/24-word seed phrase.