The launch of the Cardano mainnet and introduction of the ada cryptocurrency.Epoch 0Protocol Version: 1.0Transaction ID: N/A (Genesis block)
What hard forks were implemented, and what functionalities did they introduce?
Hard forks in Cardano do not signify division and differences within the ecosystem. On the contrary, they define a specific and collectively agreed-upon exact time (slot) when all nodes switch from the current era to a new one, applying new functions, validation rules, or parameter values. All stake pool operators need to install the upgrade, and they also have a say and must agree to it. A Cardano hard fork is, therefore, not a separation but a precise collective evolution.
The launch of the Cardano mainnet and introduction of the ada cryptocurrency.Epoch 0Protocol Version: 1.0Transaction ID: N/A (Genesis block)
Introduced staking and decentralization features, transitioning from a federated to a decentralized system.Epoch 208Protocol Version: 2.0Transaction ID: N/A (Transitioned through several updates)
Added token locking capabilities, which was a prerequisite for the smart contract functionality.Epoch 236Protocol Version: 3.0Transaction ID: 1fbd16c1d1b1933f2f97a313db8c749bdcf65a39d996515b0f5e5535baad68e8
Brought native token functionality to Cardano, allowing users to create and transact with custom tokens.Epoch 251Protocol Version: 4.0Transaction ID: b7f5658a5aabced7f8599cf7bf7cb9d6f730b865a5a0430f2dc7488caf25752e
Introduced smart contract capabilities using Plutus, enabling the deployment of decentralized applications (dApps).Epoch 290Protocol Version: 5.0Transaction ID: N/A (Specific transaction ID not provided)
Epoch 298Protocol Version: 6.0Transaction ID: N/A (Specific transaction ID not provided)
Improved the scalability and performance of the network, named after Vasil Dabov, a Cardano community member.Epoch 365Protocol Version: 7.0Transaction IDs: 3abda97c78c71e8a21473529aca94d78d364dfa1a866ef8245885e18085b4e4c, 8230f33cd7ad3f8601e94ea2b18abdc591187e190ea8ebecc25e20fc66200f13
Introduced further improvements to Plutus smart contract functionality and overall network performance.Epoch 394Protocol Version: 8.0Transaction IDs: a83f479c5635e1e563a19f6e72a1be59fb082bbf31de90cc176850ee799b08ac, 62c3c13187423c47f629e6187f36fbd61a9ba1d05d101588340cfbfdf47b22d2
Introducing the first batch of decentralized governance features of CIP-1694. Enabling only parameter changes and hard fork initiations.Epoch 507Protocol Version: 9.0Transaction IDs: 9ba6a580bceb8f94e65a683e8291c89382835f46e3cf928eb521f5581ade4820, 4e377ceb5c5721257a3d7960f3053468bbea45ed8ac22cd559c69e757da5e0ae
Introducing the second batch of decentralized governance features of CIP-1694. Enabling the full set of governance actions and the DRep role.Epoch 537Protocol Version: 10.0Transaction IDs: 0b19476e40bbbb5e1e8ce153523762e2b6859e7ecacbaf06eae0ee6a447e79b9
Note that some hard forks, particularly Byron and Shelley, transitioned through a series of updates and may not have a single specific transaction id associated with them. For the others, the provided transaction ids correspond to significant parameter updates leading to the hard forks.