light-protocol

# Light Protocol Development Guide Build scalable, cost-efficient applications on Solana with Light Protocol - the infrastructure platform enabling rent-free tokens and accounts with L1 performance and security. ## Overview Light Protocol provides two complementary technologies: - **ZK Compression**: Create rent-free compressed tokens and PDAs using zero-knowledge proofs. Uses Merkle trees and validity proofs to store state efficiently. - **Light Token Program**: A high-performance token standard that reduces mint and token account costs by 200x compared to SPL tokens. ### Key Benefits | Benefit | Description | |---------|-------------| | **200x Cost Reduction** | Compressed token accounts cost ~5,000 lamports vs ~2,000,000 for SPL | | **Rent-Free Accounts** | No upfront rent-exemption required for tokens or PDAs | | **L1 Security** | All execution and state remains on Solana mainnet | | **Full Composability** | Works with existing Solana programs and wallets (Phantom, Backpack) | ## Program IDs | Program | Address | Description | |---------|---------|-------------| | Light System Program | `SySTEM1eSU2p4BGQfQpimFEWWSC1XDFeun3Nqzz3rT7` | Core system program | | Light Token Program | `cTokenmWW8bLPjZEBAUgYy3zKxQZW6VKi7bqNFEVv3m` | Compressed token operations | | Account Compression | `compr6CUsB5m2jS4Y3831ztGSTnDpnKJTKS95d64XVq` | Account compression program | ## Quick Start ### Installation ```bash # Install TypeScript SDKs npm install @lightprotocol/stateless.js @...