Cardano News

This 12th installment of the Cardano Developer Office Hours is presented by Satya Ranjan, Senior Enterprise Architect at the Cardano Foundation. In this session, Satya discusses how the yaci-devkit simplifies building and testing on a local Cardano dev network, helping developers iterate faster and avoid public testnet limitations. The session highlights key features such as customizable block times, integrated tools, and Blockfrost-compatible APIs. A live demo shows easy setup using Docker and NPM distributions.

The January 17, 2025, development report focuses on final preparations for the Plomin hard fork, including bug fixes and code simplifications. Stake pool operators are urged to upgrade to node v.10.1.4. Lace v.1.18.2 improved crash recovery and fixed CIP-95 bugs. Mithril certified stake distribution on the mainnet and upgraded to node v.10.1.4. The Ouroboros Leios project progressed simulations to enhance network throughput. Voting for the Plomin hard fork continues.

NFT marketplaces are platforms where users can buy, sell, and trade non-fungible tokens (NFTs) through auctions or fixed-price listings. They operate as either centralized platforms, managing transactions off-chain, or decentralized platforms, leveraging smart contracts for secure peer-to-peer exchanges. Each model has unique benefits, balancing ease of use, security, and transparency.

The January 10, 2025, development report highlights the release of Cardano node v.10.1.4, preparing for the Plomin hard fork with enhanced mempool safeguards. The consensus team improved time management and block-fetch synchronization. Plutus Core is finalizing the data-backed ScriptContext API for better script performance. Hydra advanced incremental commits and multi-version support for its explorer, while Mithril released distribution 2450.0, supporting Cardano node v.10.1.3.

Cardano's EUTXO model provides six key benefits over account-based systems: predictable transactions, ensuring no fees for failed transactions; predictable costs, allowing accurate calculation of fees and resources; enhanced concurrency for simultaneous transaction processing; improved security through determinism and reduced attack vectors; flexibility for innovative decentralized applications; and compatibility with zero-knowledge proofs, enabling complex off-chain computations with verifiable on-chain results. These advantages make EUTXO a scalable, secure, and versatile framework for blockchain applications. For more, read the full article.

The January 6, 2025, Cardano Community Digest calls on SPOs to vote on the Plomin Hard Fork, which introduces Protocol Version 10 for governance and technical upgrades. With 83.13% of staked ada yet to vote, 51% participation is needed. The Digest also spotlights LOGIC, a stake pool supporting projects like NEWM and Aiken, showcasing community and technical contributions.

Merkle Patricia Tries (MPTs) are advanced data structures that enhance blockchain efficiency and security by enabling rapid verification and modification of data entries. They combine the benefits of tries, Patricia tries, and Merkle trees to allow efficient addition, deletion, and verification of key-value pairs, ensuring data integrity. MPTs are fundamental in decentralized networks, supporting dynamic data storage and secure transaction processing.

The December 23, 2024, Digest highlights Catalyst Fund 13 results, with 2.5 billion ada funding 199 projects through 311,000 votes. Governance decentralization and community input were key discussion points. The Messari Q3 2024 report noted a 31.2% revenue decrease, a 13.3% increase in DeFi TVL to $231.6M, and a 145.5% rise in USDM’s market cap to $7.9M.

A Roundtable Talk on December 17, 2024, explored the role of large voters and DeFi protocols in Project Catalyst F13. The discussion featured insights on how major stakeholders like Minswap, Liqwid, and the Cardano Foundation evaluate and vote on proposals. It delved into the challenges and impact of stake-based governance and DeFi protocols borrowing voting power, examining the lessons shaping Cardano's one-ada-one-vote framework.

The December 13, 2024, development report concludes the year, with updates resuming January 10, 2025. The networking team, in collaboration with the Cardano Foundation, noted 98.4% of transactions are included within two blocks, showing minimal congestion. The consensus team advanced UTXO-HD and reviewed low participation handling. Daedalus v.7.0.2 launched, enabling users to delegate voting power to DReps or select automatic voting options, enhancing governance participation.