A schema-first gRPC for NockApp, faster syncs with 3x sig-parallelism, block verification down to 150ms.

In this issue...

- gRPC interface for NockApp replaces legacy Unix Domain Socket transport

- New server/client crates with ping/peek/poke; typed substrate coming soon

- 3x faster multi-signature verification for input-heavy transactions

- Block verification optimized from 500ms to 150ms for faster sync

Product Update: gRPC Comes to NockApp

We introduced a new gRPC interface for NockApp, replacing the legacy npc Unix Domain Socket transport. Built on tonic/prost, this shift moves us to a schema-first RPC layer that is easier to reason about, compose, and extend for developers.

What is new today:

- Server/client crates to expose a NockApp over gRPC

- Core RPCs: ping, peek (returns jam-encoded noun bytes for a given path), poke

- Clean service composition and straightforward cross-language clients

What to expect next:

- The current API is intentionally raw for local App <-> NockApp communication

- A typed substrate is in development to make high-level endpoints like get_wallet_balance easy and safe

- Designed for embedding NockApps in services and for external tooling; additional RPCs can be layered as needs evolve

Deprecation note:

- npc (Unix Domain Socket) is now deprecated. It was inconvenient for users and brittle at larger payloads (peek responses in particular). gRPC resolves these pain points with structured schemas, better flow control, and broad ecosystem support.

Why it matters:

A predictable, language-agnostic interface lays the groundwork for community-built Nockchain apps and custom APIs, without sacrificing performance or locality.

Performance: Parallel Signatures, Faster Blocks

We implemented a parallel signature verification path that processes multiple signatures simultaneously instead of serially.

What you will see:

- Up to 3x faster processing for transactions with many inputs

- Input-heavy transactions that previously took several seconds now complete faster

Why it matters:

Verification is a dominant cost in some workloads. By parallelizing signature checks, nodes clear heavy mempool items sooner and improve end-to-end confirmation latency.

Sync Speed: Blocks Verify in 150ms

Block verification time dropped from ~500ms to ~150ms.

Impact:

- Faster initial sync and catch-up

- Lower end-to-end validation latency during periods of high activity

- Smoother node operation on modest hardware

How we think about it:

Nockchain’s model, off-chain compute and onchain proofs, benefits disproportionately from tight verification loops. Every millisecond saved compounds across blocks, peers, and clients, improving the network’s practical scalability.

Developer Notes: Building on the New RPC

If you plan to integrate with NockApp:

- Start experimenting with the gRPC server/client crates and core RPCs

- Treat the current API as local and raw; stability and typed endpoints are coming

- We welcome feedback on desired high-level calls (e.g., wallet, indexing, job orchestration)

Our goal is to make it trivial to stand up robust, type-safe interfaces that map to real use cases while retaining the flexibility to compose services your way.