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Cardano Developer Documentation

website·Indexed 41 days ago

https://docs.cardano.org/

Technical resources for the Cardano blockchain, including guides for stake pool operators (SPOs), networking, and native tokens. It covers smart contract development using Plutus, Aiken, and Marlowe, as well as scalability solutions like Hydra and Mithril. The documentation provides details on cardano-node releases, compatibility matrices, and testing environments.

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What's inside Cardano

  1. Overview of Marlowe for Cardano Smart Contracts

    Marlowe is a set of open-source tools designed to simplify the creation, testing, and deployment of secure smart contracts on the Cardano blockchain. It is based on peer-reviewed research and formal proofs to ensure contract safety. Marlowe supports multiple programming interfaces, including its own domain-specific language (DSL), Haskell, JavaScript, TypeScript, and a visual Blockly editor.

  2. Overview of the Plutus Pioneer program

    The Plutus Pioneer program is a recruitment and training initiative for developers to learn Plutus and Haskell for the Cardano ecosystem. The program is highly interactive and includes weekly videos, exercises, Q&A sessions, and access to language experts and a dedicated community channel.

  3. Overview of Cardano system components

    The Cardano architecture is modular and consists of several core components depending on the deployment use case:

    • cardano-node: The top-level component managing consensus, ledger, and networking.
    • cardano-cli: A low-level command-line tool for querying the node, submitting/building/signing transactions, and managing keys.
    • cardano-wallet: Backend service for managing ADA, coin selection, and transaction construction.
    • cardano-db-sync: A service that syncs blockchain data to an SQL database to provide a queryable interface for historical data.
    • GraphQL API server (Apollo) and SMASH server: Additional API and data layers.

  4. Overview of Cardano Development Phases

    Cardano's roadmap is divided into five primary development phases:

    • Byron: Foundation phase. Established the federated network, basic ADA transactions, and initial wallets (Daedalus, Yoroi).
    • Shelley: Decentralization phase. Transitioned from federated maintenance to a distributed stake pool operator community, introducing delegation and incentives.
    • Goguen: Smart contracts phase. Focused on DApp building, smart contract support, and custom token issuance.
    • Basho: Optimization phase. Focuses on scalability, interoperability, and improving network performance for high transaction volumes.
    • Voltaire: Governance phase. Implements decentralized decision-making, voting on updates, and project funding.

  5. Overview of the Ouroboros consensus protocol

    Ouroboros is the consensus protocol for Cardano. It is the first provably secure proof-of-stake (PoS) protocol based on peer-reviewed research. It uses mathematically verified mechanisms to ensure security and sustainability in a global, permissionless network with minimal energy consumption. The protocol selects participants (stake pools) to create new blocks based on the amount of stake they control in the network.

  6. Overview of Hydra Layer 2 Scaling for Cardano

    Hydra is a layer 2 scaling solution for the Cardano blockchain designed to increase transaction throughput and cost efficiency without compromising security. It utilizes isomorphic, multi-party state channels to allow a small group of participants to share an off-chain mini ledger. Developers can leverage Hydra Heads to implement specialized, complex protocols on top of the Cardano mainnet.

  7. Overview of Plutus smart contracts

    Plutus is the native, Turing-complete smart contract language for Cardano, based on Haskell. It provides a safe, full-stack programming environment where both on-chain and off-chain code are written in the same language.

    Plutus contracts are split into two components:

    1. On-chain code: Compiled into Plutus Core and executed by nodes during transaction validation.
    2. Off-chain (client) code: Written using the Plutus Application Framework (PAF) and compiled by the Glasgow Haskell Compiler (GHC).

  8. Overview of the Alonzo protocol upgrade

    Implemented in September 2021 as part of the Goguen phase, the Alonzo upgrade enabled smart contract development and decentralized applications (DApps) on Cardano. It transitioned the network from basic multi-signature scripting (multisig) used in Shelley to the Plutus Core language, providing more powerful and secure scripting options. To support this, Alonzo implemented the extended unspent transaction output (EUTXO) accounting model, building upon existing transaction metadata, token locking, and native asset functionality.

  9. Overview of the Cardano blockchain platform

    Cardano is a decentralized third-generation proof-of-stake blockchain platform and the home of the ada cryptocurrency. It is characterized by a research-first, scientific philosophy and is designed for sustainability, scalability, and transparency. The platform aims to provide a resilient infrastructure for global financial and social applications, specifically targeting the delivery of secure financial services to unbanked populations.

  10. Overview of Mithril stake-based multi-signature scheme

    Mithril is a stake-based multi-signature scheme that leverages the Cardano network to provide certified snapshots of all or part of the blockchain state. These snapshots enable secure voting, data exchange, and synchronization between applications, sidechains, and light wallets. A primary use case is the acceleration of Cardano node bootstrapping; instead of verifying every block from the genesis, nodes can start from a predefined state while maintaining the same security guarantees as the main chain.

  11. Overview of Cardano P2P Networking Evolution

    Cardano's networking layer has evolved through four primary stages to improve resilience and decentralization:

    1. Federated (Byron): Relied on a static configuration in a topology file with trusted core and relay nodes.
    2. Hybrid (Shelley): Block-producing nodes connect via trusted relays and/or a manual community tool called the 'topology updater'.
    3. Dynamic P2P (v1.35.6+): Introduces automation and resilience. SPO relays automatically connect via self-discovery and optimization, reducing the need for static configuration.
    4. Ouroboros Genesis (In Development): Aims for a fully decentralized, self-organized network enabling secure node bootstrapping and the complete removal of trusted relays.

    Additionally, Peer Sharing (in development) will allow the discovery of peers not registered on the chain, enabling non-SPO entities to contribute to network operations.

  12. Overview of the Aiken smart contract language

    Aiken is a purely functional, statically typed language with type inference designed specifically for creating on-chain validator scripts on the Cardano blockchain. It is designed for simplicity, omitting higher-kinded types and type classes, and compiles down to untyped Plutus Core (UPLC).

    Key architectural constraints:

    • On-chain only: Aiken is used exclusively for on-chain validator scripts.
    • Off-chain requirements: Developers must use a separate language (such as Rust, Haskell, JavaScript, or Python) to write the off-chain code required to generate transactions.