Frigate is an open-source Electrum server built for Silent Payments (BIP352), aimed at Bitcoin users who want to run their own wallet backend instead of relying on a third party. It takes over the heavy scanning work on the server side, so a lightweight Electrum-compatible wallet can receive Silent Payments without checking every transaction itself. The Windows version is distributed as a zip archive, and the program is free to download and use.
Frigate suits two groups. Individuals with a home machine can run a private instance alongside Bitcoin Core, and small public servers can serve many wallets from a single installation. It is a server rather than a standalone wallet, so you still need a compatible Electrum client to make use of it.
What Silent Payments Change for Server Operators
Silent Payments let a person share one reusable address instead of publishing a new address for every payment. The trade-off is that a receiving wallet has to inspect blockchain transactions to find the outputs meant for it, which is heavy work for a phone or a laptop.
Server-side scanning moves that job to a machine that stays online. The server performs the elliptic curve arithmetic on behalf of the wallet and returns only the transactions that match. For the wallet, this means quicker balance updates without downloading and processing the whole chain.
The trade-off is that whoever operates the server does the work and can see the scanning activity. Running the server yourself keeps that trust in your own hands. Using someone else's public server means relying on them to scan accurately and keep the service online.
Who Frigate Is For
Frigate fits three kinds of readers. The first is a Bitcoin user who already runs Bitcoin Core at home and wants a private Electrum backend for Silent Payments. The second is a small service operator who wants to serve several wallets from one machine. The third is a developer testing Silent Payments flows against a real indexer.
A single-user setup can run on ordinary hardware. Scanning is light enough for a desktop computer, and an NVIDIA or AMD graphics card can speed it up if you have one. Multi-user public servers need more planning, because bandwidth, storage for the index and uptime become the main concerns.
If all you want is to hold bitcoin and send payments from a phone, Frigate is probably more than you need. A consumer wallet that connects to a public server will be simpler to set up and maintain.
How Ephemeral Keys Work During a Scan
An ephemeral key is a short-lived key that the client uses for a scanning session. The client passes the scanning material to the server, the server uses it to find matching transactions, and the key stays in RAM instead of being written to a file.
This approach follows the Remote Scanner model described in the BIP352 index server specification. The idea is that the server can locate relevant transactions while the wallet's long-term spending keys stay on the client. Scanning does not require handing the spending keys to the server.
Because the key exists only in memory, a restart of the process ends the session. There is no long-lived scanning secret sitting in a database for an attacker to copy, which is a practical benefit for anyone operating a server.
Key features
Server-side Silent Payments scanning
GPU acceleration with three backends
Elliptic curve math inside the database
Fast mempool updates
Supported coins
Frigate's documentation names Bitcoin (BTC) as its network, and the associated algorithm is SHA-256, the proof-of-work used by Bitcoin. Frigate is a server for Silent Payments scanning rather than a mining program. On the hardware side, it can use NVIDIA GPUs through CUDA, AMD and Intel GPUs through OpenCL, Apple GPUs through Metal, or a standard CPU.
How to install Frigate on Windows
- 1
Download the release from the official source
Open the Releases page of the project's GitHub repository at github.com/sparrowwallet/frigate and download the latest release, version 1.6.1, in the .zip build for Windows. Download only from the official website or the official GitHub Releases page, not from mirrors or file-sharing sites.
- 2
Verify the signature
Releases are signed, and the project publishes its GPG key. Import that key, then check the signature of the zip file before extracting it. If the check fails, delete the file and download it again from the official source.
- 3
Install and prepare Bitcoin Core
Install Bitcoin Core version 28 or higher. Add txindex=1 to your bitcoin.conf file, then let Bitcoin Core finish syncing, since Frigate depends on its indexed data.
-
Extract Frigate and start it
Extract the archive to a folder of your choice and run Frigate. On first start it creates a config.toml file in the ~/.frigate directory. If Bitcoin Core runs on the same machine with default settings, Frigate connects to it automatically without further changes.
System requirements
- Windows, using the .zip build from the official Releases page
- Bitcoin Core 28 or higher with txindex=1 set in bitcoin.conf
- Bitcoin Core running on the same machine for the default automatic connection
- Optional GPU: an NVIDIA card with CUDA, an Apple GPU with Metal, or an Intel, AMD or NVIDIA GPU with OpenCL
- A standard CPU is also a supported option for scanning
How to use Frigate
Running Frigate for Windows is mostly a matter of getting Bitcoin Core ready and then letting Frigate handle the scanning. Once the first start has created the configuration file, you only need to check a few settings and then point your wallet at the server.
- Start Bitcoin Core and confirm that bitcoin.conf contains txindex=1. Let the node finish syncing before you rely on Frigate.
- Check that Bitcoin Core is version 28 or higher if you want Electrum protocol 1.6. Earlier versions still work for protocol versions 1.3 through 1.5.
- Launch Frigate. On first start it creates config.toml in the ~/.frigate directory.
- Confirm that Frigate connects to Bitcoin Core. With both programs on the same machine and default settings, no extra configuration is usually needed.
- If you use Frigate with a backend Electrum server, set zmqSequenceEndpoint. The project strongly recommends this so that mempool updates arrive quickly.
- Point your Electrum-compatible wallet at your Frigate server and check that it receives Silent Payments as expected.
Pros & cons
- Free and open source, with signed releases
- Server-side Silent Payments scanning with ephemeral in-RAM keys
- GPU acceleration on CUDA, Metal and OpenCL, selected automatically
- Suitable for a single-user home setup or a multi-user public server
- Fast mempool ingestion through Bitcoin Core's ZMQ publisher
- Needs Bitcoin Core 28 or higher with txindex=1 for full functionality
- Documented coin support covers Bitcoin (BTC) only
- Setup is technical and suits people comfortable editing configuration files
- Running a public server makes you responsible for uptime and security
- Not a wallet, so you still need a compatible Electrum client
Is Frigate safe?
Frigate is open source, so its code is public for review. Get the program only from the official GitHub repository at github.com/sparrowwallet/frigate, specifically its Releases page. Releases are signed with a GPG key, so check the signature against the project's published key before running the file. If the signature does not match, do not run the file. Archives from unofficial mirrors or forum links carry real risk.
Frigate itself has no reason to ask for your seed phrase, and you should never enter a seed phrase on a third-party website or in a program that prompts for it on a web page. Keep wallet keys on your client side. Treat a public Frigate server as a service you trust with scanning activity, and prefer your own server if privacy matters to you. Before installing, check the latest version on the official website.
- Official source only. Download from github.com/sparrowwallet/frigate. Ignore ads and lookalike domains.
- Check the SHA-256. Compare the installer hash with the value the developer publishes before running it.
- Never share your seed phrase. No developer, support agent or website — including CryptApps — will ever ask for it.
Alternatives
Frigate sits alongside several Electrum-style servers, but its focus is Silent Payments. Fulcrum is a fast general-purpose Electrum server for BTC, BCH and LTC, so it is the better pick if you need a quick indexer for standard addresses across those chains. Electrum Personal Server is designed as a personal server for a single Electrum wallet.
Frigate's distinguishing features are server-side BIP352 scanning, ephemeral client keys and GPU acceleration. Gocoin takes a different approach as a full Bitcoin implementation written in Go. Choose Frigate when Silent Payments support is the reason you are running a server.
Specifications
- Price
- Free
- Type
- Open source
- License
- —
- Latest version
- 1.6.1
- Last update
- 30 Oct 2026
- Windows support
- Yes (Windows build or installer)
- Source code
- github.com/sparrowwallet/frigate
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Frigate is free and open source, and its Windows build is distributed as a zip archive on the project's GitHub Releases page. There is no cost to download or run the program, though Bitcoin Core and your hardware are your own expense.
Frigate is open source and its releases are signed, which lets you confirm that a file came from the project. Download it only from the official GitHub Releases page, verify the GPG signature, and avoid copies on other sites. Any server carries operational risk, so keep it updated and secured.
Silent Payments, defined in BIP352, let a person share one reusable address while each payment lands on a fresh on-chain output. The receiver must scan blockchain transactions to find those outputs. That scanning work is what Frigate can take over on a server.
Yes. Frigate needs access to the Bitcoin Core RPC, and Bitcoin Core must have txindex=1 set in bitcoin.conf. Version 28 or higher is needed for Electrum protocol 1.6, while earlier versions work with protocol versions 1.3 through 1.5.
No. GPU acceleration is optional. Frigate can use CUDA on NVIDIA cards, Metal on Apple hardware or OpenCL on Intel, AMD and NVIDIA GPUs, and it picks a backend at runtime. A standard CPU is also a supported option for scanning.
Frigate speaks the Electrum JSON-RPC protocol and adds an extension for Silent Payments, so Electrum-based clients can connect to it. Confirm that your client supports this extension before relying on Silent Payments scanning through Frigate.
Electrum Personal Server is aimed at a personal wallet connection. Frigate adds server-side Silent Payments scanning with ephemeral keys and GPU options. Both can serve Electrum clients, but they address different needs.
Verdict
Frigate is a focused tool. If you want to receive Silent Payments on Bitcoin without scanning every block yourself, and you are comfortable running Bitcoin Core with txindex enabled, it is a practical open-source option on Windows. Hobbyists with a capable PC and small service operators are the best fit. Readers who only want a simple wallet should look at a consumer client instead.