Cardano network will undergo Chang hard fork upgrade

Author: Derek Andersen, CoinTelegraph; Compiler: Deng Tong, Golden Finance

With the latest release of the node validator software, the Cardano network is ready for the Chang hard fork. The hard fork is part of the transition to the Voltaire era of decentralized network governance.

The latest version of the validator node, Node 9.1.0, is an upgrade to Node 9.0 released on July 8. In addition to fixing some bugs, new nodes will also need to use the Conway Genesis file on the mainnet, which will enable a crossover with the Chang hard fork. The hard fork can be implemented when 70% of validators upgrade to the new node.

Cardano Node 9.1.0 documentation. Source: GitHub

Chang hard fork expected to bring major changes

Validators are upgrading rapidly, with 11% having upgraded as of the time of writing, but observers note that scripts and tools still need to be upgraded. The Intersect Cardano user group commented that the upgrade will bring a “significant shift” to the Cardano ecosystem:

“This release marks the completion of major development work in the bootstrapping phase of on-chain governance. […] This milestone marks the completion of the core elements of decentralized governance, divided into two distinct phases.”

Intersect added that the second phase of the Chang upgrade will be launched later this year. The first phase will enable “bootstrapping governance” as the ecosystem gradually adapts to the new functionality, as foreseen in Cardano Improvement Proposal 1694, released in November 2022.

Source: Intersect

Cardano decentralization process proceeds as planned

According to Cardano documents, the Chang hard fork will create an on-chain governance mechanism for the Constitutional Council and representatives who will vote on behalf of Cardano's individual Ada coin holders and give stake pool operators new governance roles. Proposals and voting will be conducted on-chain.

Cardano’s last upgrade was the Vasil hard fork in September 2022, which allowed for faster block creation and improved smart contract performance. The Alonzo hard fork in September 2021 brought smart contracts to the ecosystem.

The release of the Chang software was delayed by a month, likely due to the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on June 25 that caused the Node 8 series upgrade.

Cardano ’s five eras. Source: Cardano 

Voltaire is the planned final era for the network. Cardano has a market cap of approximately $14 billion.