📑 Technical Specification & Architecture
Zero-Knowledge Pay-to-Unlock
How Unikaton Paylock enables instant monetization of digital assets with 100% client-side cryptographic privacy.
1. The Core Problem in Digital Commerce
Selling code, datasets, scripts, 3D models, or confidential reports online is fraught with friction:
- Buyer Hesitation: Buyers fear paying upfront without mathematical proof that the file exists and is intact.
- Seller Risk: Sellers fear delivering files before receiving funds, facing chargebacks or stolen work.
- Platform Lock-in: Traditional marketplaces take 10%–30% fees, hold funds for 30–180 days, and demand invasive KYC.
2. The Sovereign Cryptographic Model
Unikaton Paylock utilizes In-Browser AES-GCM 256-bit Encryption (WebCrypto API) combined with ephemeral URL fragment key distribution:
- Local Key Generation: The seller's browser generates a 256-bit AES-GCM key.
- Client-Side Encryption: The raw file is encrypted directly in browser memory before being transmitted to the server.
- Zero Server Access: The key resides strictly in the URL fragment (
#key=...). Per RFC 3986, URL fragments are NEVER sent to the server in HTTP headers. Our server only stores unreadable ciphertext. - In-Browser Decryption: When the buyer unlocks the vault, the browser downloads the ciphertext, decrypts it locally in RAM, verifies the SHA-256 integrity seal, and triggers the file save.
Zero-Knowledge Guarantee: Even if our servers are fully compromised, an attacker obtains only unreadable encrypted blobs. No raw file contents, code, or plaintext can ever be extracted without the client-side `#key`.
3. Transparent Fee Structure
Unikaton operates on a simple, ultra-low fee model:
| Transaction Size | Platform Fee | Settlement Time |
|---|---|---|
| $1.00 – $50.00 | 3% flat | Instant (Stripe / USDC Base) |
| $50.00+ | 2.5% | Instant |