> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.redacted.money/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.redacted.money/readme.md).

# Introduction

Redacted is a private DeFi layer built on [Rujira](https://rujira.network), THORChain's app layer. You deposit into a shared Reserve, and from then on you trade, swap, stake and borrow from a private account that has no visible connection to your public wallet.

On a public chain, anyone with a browser can see what a wallet holds and what it has done. That includes the person who found your ENS name, a stranger you met at a conference and the analytics firms that have tracked wallets like yours for years. Redacted lets you keep using DeFi without handing all of that to whoever looks.

## Open to anyone

Redacted is permissionless. There is no sign-up, no KYC and no identity check, so anyone with a wallet can connect, sign one message and start, and withdrawals are always open without anyone's approval. The rules are public and apply in the same way to every user, and independent nodes carry your actions and approve deposits, each one choosing its own checks. Developers can build on Redacted too, because the engine behind it is designed to be embedded by wallets, frontends and protocols (see [Build on Redacted](/protocol/build-on-redacted.md)).

## How it feels to use

You sign in once when you open Private Mode. After that, zero-knowledge proofs generated in your browser authorize every action and a relayer carries each one on-chain, so your wallet has nothing more to sign. There is no gas to juggle, no new chain and no new seed phrase. MetaMask, Rabby, Keplr, Trust and other wallets work, and the wallet you already have derives your private account and then stays in the background.

There is also no database on our side. Your account lives on-chain as encrypted notes that only your keys can read, and any browser can rebuild it from the chain alone. Our infrastructure makes things more convenient but never holds your funds.

## The wait and the nodes

New money waits about two hours before it can be used privately, so a deposit can't be matched to what you do with it a few minutes later. While it waits, the nodes can send back money they decide not to accept, which keeps the group you blend in with clean.

Every deposit is approved by the node network, and each node chooses what it checks before it approves. Only independent nodes decide whether a deposit is sent back, and it only ever goes back to its sender. The core contributors, the DAO and Bōheki (the DAO's safety multisig) can't turn away or send back anyone's money, and no vote or switch applies to withdrawals. Bōheki (once, for about 3 days at most) and node votes can pause all new deposits, but a pause applies to everyone at once and never singles anyone out.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Coming soon.** The wait and the node network arrive in upcoming updates. Ozone, the reference screener, is open source and built by Redacted's core contributors, and it works only from public data. Each node chooses which Ozone instance it trusts, and the node network can decide to use or add other sources. See [Compliance](/protocol/compliance.md), [How the node network works](/node-network/node-network.md) and [Who decides what](/protocol/system-overview.md#who-decides-what).
{% endhint %}

## Explore Redacted

* [Why Redacted exists](/why-redacted.md)
* [Start using Private Mode](/using-redacted/getting-started.md)
* [Reserve and Spending, explained](/using-redacted/how-it-works.md)
* [How the privacy works](/using-redacted/privacy.md)
* [The architecture](/protocol/architecture.md)
* [The node network](/node-network/node-network.md)
* [Who decides what](/protocol/system-overview.md#who-decides-what)
* [Compliance](/protocol/compliance.md)
* [The community ceremony](/ceremony/ceremony.md)

## Official links

* [redacted.money](https://www.redacted.money), our website
* [t.me/redactedFND](https://t.me/redactedFND), our Telegram
* [@redacted\_money](https://x.com/redacted_money) on X (Twitter)
* [Rujira](https://rujira.network), THORChain's app layer, which Redacted is built on