Proposal: Exploring a Mobile-Native Mina Web Node App

Product Idea
1

Ok full disclosure I used Chat to help me with the phrasing of this topic, but it would be great to hear the thoughts of any O1Labs engineers or community members on this. ***

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I’d like to raise a question about the future direction of the Mina Web Node. It’s currently still in testnet and needs further development before being widely usable, but looking ahead: could it evolve into a mobile-native app that runs in the background, rather than just in an open browser tab?

I think this is a much more exciting proposition that could really help engage community members and increase decentralisation.

Why this matters

  • Mina’s recursive proofs make it uniquely suited to mobile: nodes verify the entire chain via a succinct proof instead of syncing from genesis.

  • The Web Node only needs to maintain a partial ledger for managed accounts, making it lightweight compared to traditional nodes.

  • If users could simply install an app and passively contribute to decentralization, the entry barrier to running a node would fall dramatically — something that feels essential if we want broader participation in securing the network.

Restrictions & questions

  1. Background execution (OS limits)

    • Mobile OSs suspend apps quickly; long-lived P2P connections are restricted.

    • Q: Could a mobile Web Node still add value if it synced opportunistically (e.g., only when charging + on Wi-Fi) to verify state and relay txs?

  2. Proof verification vs. ledger state

    • Proof verification is succinct, but account snapshots still need to be reconstructed.

    • Q: What is the realistic storage footprint for a partial ledger on mobile, and would pruning strategies be necessary?

  3. Networking model

    • The Web Node today relies on browser-friendly transports (WebRTC + relays). These are limited on mobile in the background.

    • Q: Would Mina need a dedicated “mobile relay” tier (e.g., QUIC/WebTransport) to make this feasible?

  4. Resource use

    • Even light sync could strain CPU, RAM, or battery in background mode.

    • Q: Do you have any benchmarks from testnet runs on phones that show what’s realistic?

The bigger picture

If feasible, a mobile Web Node app could onboard thousands of casual node operators simply by lowering friction. Even if it didn’t produce blocks initially, it could verify state, relay transactions, and strengthen network resilience.

Is this something you could see on the o1Labs roadmap, or alternatively as a grant-funded ecosystem project once the Web Node is further along?

PLEASE LEAVE YOUR GENERAL THOUGHTS/FEEDBACK