lightwalletd
A backend service that gives light wallets a bandwidth-efficient interface to the Zcash blockchain, so they do not have to download the whole chain.
The lightwalletd README describes it as "a backend service that provides a bandwidth-efficient interface to the Zcash blockchain." It sits between a full node and light wallets: it connects to a Zebra node through Zebra's JSON-RPC server (which must be enabled with cookie authentication turned off) and serves wallets over gRPC.
This is why a light wallet needs a server to talk to. The wallet keeps your keys and checks what it receives; lightwalletd and the node behind it supply blockchain data. Running your own Zebra node and lightwalletd lets you point a light wallet at infrastructure you control, if the wallet lets you choose its server.
Zebra's documentation lists lightwalletd as one of its intended uses.
Explained in context: How to Run a Zcash Node with Zebra →
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