Canton

The Canton Network is a privacy‑enabled blockchain infrastructure designed for regulated finance and institutional‑grade tokenization. It connects multiple ledgers and applications into a “network of networks” while preserving strict, need‑to‑know data sharing between participants.

This page gives a concise technical overview of how Canton is structured and which components matter when you design, deploy, and operate Canton‑based workflows.

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Architecture at a glance

Canton is built as a modular, interoperable network rather than a single monolithic chain.

• Local ledgers and applications
  Canton applications (for assets, markets, payments, and other workflows) maintain their own ledgers and business logic, defined in Daml smart contracts.

• Synchronization domains
  Groups of applications and participants run in synchronization domains, which coordinate transaction execution and consensus for that subset of the network.

• Global Synchronizer
  A shared Global Synchronizer orders and routes transactions that span multiple domains, enabling atomic, cross‑domain workflows while keeping application data local.

• Network of networks
  Together, these elements form a “network of networks”: many specialized ledgers that can interoperate securely without collapsing into a single, fully replicated global state.

This architecture lets institutions deploy use‑case‑specific ledgers while still benefiting from shared connectivity, atomic settlement, and common infrastructure.

Learn more about how Canton works

Privacy and data model

Canton’s data model is designed for regulated markets where not every participant can see every transaction.

• Need‑to‑know visibility
  Parties only see contracts and fields they are entitled to, based on Daml‑encoded permissions and their role in a given workflow.

• Per‑party views of the ledger
  Each participant effectively has a private, consistent view of the parts of the global virtual ledger that involve them, rather than a full copy of all state.

• Regulatory and audit alignment
  Because permissions and access rules are encoded in Daml smart contracts, workflows and visibility rules are explicit and auditable for regulators and internal control teams.

This model supports multi‑party workflows without forcing full transparency of positions, prices, or counterparty relationships.

Atomic settlement and interoperability

A core property of Canton is the ability to coordinate assets, cash, and reference data across multiple ledgers as a single, atomic transaction.

• Cross‑application atomicity
  Transactions that span multiple applications and domains either commit everywhere or not at all, reducing settlement and reconciliation risk.

• Global ordering via the synchronizer
  The Global Synchronizer provides a shared ordering service for cross‑domain transactions, allowing different ledgers to interoperate without merging their state.

• Tokenization and RWA workflows
  This model supports institutional‑grade tokenization of collateral, funds, private credit, and other RWAs, with coordinated movement between asset, cash, and collateral applications.

From a systems perspective, atomic settlement across domains is what lets Canton behave like a coherent platform for tokenized finance, rather than a set of disconnected silos.

Key components: validators and super validators

Canton relies on institutional‑grade infrastructure operated by participants and selected ecosystem partners.

• Validators (participant nodes)

  • Run Canton applications and execute Daml smart contracts for the parties they host.
  • Store and process only the contracts and transactions in which their hosted parties are stakeholders, aligning data residency and privacy with institutional requirements.
  • Provide the primary integration point into internal systems (treasury, risk, custody, core banking, and other platforms).
  • Learn more about Canton validators

• Super validators (infrastructure backbone)

  • Operate validator nodes plus Global Synchronizer infrastructure.
  • Help maintain neutral, transparent governance and fair operation of shared services such as the Global Synchronizer and related utilities.
  • Learn more about Canton super validators

You can think of validators as each institution’s gateway into Canton, and super validators as the curated set of operators running the public interoperability backbone.

Operational and onboarding considerations

Canton is designed for regulated institutions, so infrastructure and operations are first‑class concerns.

• Infrastructure requirements
  Validators and related infrastructure must meet regulatory‑grade expectations for uptime, security, monitoring, and change management.

• Onboarding complexity
  Typical challenges include standing up nodes, integrating with legacy systems, configuring connectivity to synchronization domains, and aligning key management and wallet flows with internal policies.

• Wallets and custody
  MPC wallets and institutional custody solutions can be used to manage Canton Coin and Canton‑based assets, aligning key management with existing security and governance standards.

In practice, most projects pair application design (Daml contracts and workflows) with a focused infrastructure workstream for validators, wallets, and integration into existing control frameworks.

Learn how to overcome regulatory and operational obstacles

Related Canton documentation

Use these pages to dive deeper into specific Canton topics:

• Canton Validator: What a validator is, how it behaves, and why institutions run their own.
• Canton Super Validator: Role of super validators, how they operate the Global Synchronizer, and how they differ from standard validators.
• Understanding the Canton Wallet Gateway: Solving validator‑agnostic signing for institutional tokenization.
• How Canton Works: Learn how Canton’s subnets, privacy, and atomic settlement work for regulated financial applications.
• How to Reduce Canton Onboarding Complexity: See how institutions can onboard to Canton faster with managed validators and MPC-secured wallets.
• How to Safeguard Privacy in Canton Transactions: Discover how Canton ensures strong privacy using Daml permissions and MPC key controls.
• Canton: How to Overcome Regulatory and Operational Obstacles: Learn how institutions can meet compliance and operational demands when building on Canton.

These topics build on the concepts introduced here and provide the technical depth needed to design and operate Canton‑based solutions in production.