# Light Contracts

!!! warning "Future Development"
    Light Contracts are a planned feature for future Zenith development. This page contains conceptual information and design considerations for the proposed system.

Light Contracts represent a lightweight approach to programmable functionality on the Zenith blockchain, designed to enable flexible application development while maintaining focus on Urbit identity and consensus. Unlike traditional smart contracts, Light Contracts use a simpler execution model optimized for Zenith's specific use cases, with native understanding of Azimuth point ownership and sponsorship relationships. They enable user-deployable logic for identity-based applications, economic applications, and infrastructure services without requiring network upgrades.

Key features include access control based on Azimuth point ownership, integration with the Scry Oracle for off-chain Urbit data, $Z token handling, and deterministic execution with gas metering. Light Contracts are user-deployable without core development (unlike Cosmos SDK modules) and offer lower overhead than full VM systems like Ethereum, with execution optimized for blockchain resource constraints and quick execution times compatible with Cosmos SDK consensus. The design and implementation will be driven by community needs and governance decisions.