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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tangerine.exchange/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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What is Lighter?

Lighter is a high-performance perpetual futures exchange built on zkSync. It’s designed for traders who prioritize execution speed and gas efficiency. Lighter uses Schnorr signatures for its trading key scheme — a more efficient signature algorithm than ECDSA, enabling faster and cheaper order signing.

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Key Characteristics

  • Ultra-low latency — optimized for high-frequency trading
  • zkSync-based — inherits Ethereum security with ZK rollup efficiency
  • Schnorr key auth — trading keys use Schnorr signatures derived from your wallet
  • Intent-based deposits — unique deposit address pattern (no approval transactions)
  • Multi-chain deposits — Arbitrum, Base, Avalanche supported

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How Tangerine Integrates with Lighter

Lighter’s trading key system uses a 7-step Schnorr key derivation flow:
  1. Check if your account exists on Lighter (it’s created automatically on first deposit)
  2. Sign an access message with your main wallet
  3. Generate a Schnorr API key pair from your wallet signature
  4. Register the API key on Lighter via a signed transaction
  5. Tangerine encrypts the Schnorr private key in the browser
This is more involved than Hyperliquid setup, but it’s a one-time process. After setup, trading feels identical — every order is signed locally and submitted to Lighter’s API.
You must deposit to Lighter before completing setup. Your Lighter account is created by the first deposit, and the setup flow verifies the account exists before proceeding.

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Intent-Based Deposits

Lighter uses a unique intent address pattern for deposits. Instead of a fixed smart contract address, Lighter generates a unique one-time deposit address for each deposit request. The UI handles this automatically — just use the address shown in the Tangerine deposit panel.

Deposit

Fund via Arbitrum, Base, or Avalanche using the intent address pattern

Setup

Complete the 7-step Schnorr key derivation flow