A set of data that is mutable through node operations on a ledger. For example, with every transaction of an asset the database entry regarding who owns the asset changes.
A fee structure that seeks to ensure a level of fairness in access and throughput for all Cardano blockchain users. The Cardano community decides how this pricing system will work.
The volume of data processed by a system in a given amount of time. Throughput is steadily being increased on Cardano to meet the demands of an ever-growing DApp ecosystem and community of Cardano adopters.
Cardano's fee strategy is based primarily on market demand rather than the actual supply. Research continues to be done on how Cardano can evolve to offer a fair structure of fee tiers that provides the best balance between managing demand and maintaining reasonable costs. Ultimately, the Cardano community will vote on whether or not to implement this tiered...
Algorithmic Contract Types Unified Standard. A global standard for financial smart contracts. These contracts are being implemented in Cardano’s Marlowe smart contract language.
The ability of a system to handle more and more work. This is a vital property for a blockchain or it will become slower and more expensive to use. Addressing the scaling problems of earlier blockchains was a founding aim of Cardano and is the focus of the Basho stage of development. Cardano is scaling in eleven major ways in 2022.
5% of all earned rewards every epoch are put into a pot to fund Cardano. During the Voltaire development phase, treasury reserves will be used for development, system improvements, and to ensure the long-term sustainability of the platform.
Cardano's core elements are based on academic research led by the Blockchain Technology Laboratory at the University of Edinburgh. Once an idea has been proven and tested mathematically by computer scientists, it is implemented as code by software engineers, with the key parts written in Haskell. Changes to the blockchain are then verified on a testnet befor...
One of the nodes (or processes) run by the Cardano node. It connects to at least one other relay and a block-producing node to share information in the network. See Networking for details.
Real-world finance. An IOG initiative started in Africa in 2021 to provide people with fair opportunities in terms of finance and identity management. RealFi aims to deliver real finance for real people, creating value and opportunity for everyone across the globe.
The process of optimizing code in order to significantly improve block propagation times by reducing the ‘dead time’ between blocks. Thus improving the Cardano user experience.
Cardano nodes connect to each other directly, without relying on any intermediary. Direct communication means the network is faster and more efficient. Also, because no single point of potential failure exists, the network is more resilient. P2P also simplifies the process of running a relay node (one of the nodes run by stake pool operators, which does not ...
One of the computer servers or wallets making up the Cardano network. Each node holds a copy of the blockchain ledger and connects with other participants to help maintain network operations. A stake pool operator runs different types of nodes: a block-producing node and several relay nodes that are connected with each other. See Networking.
A unique token stored on a blockchain. NFTs can represent digital ownership rights of real-world assets such as a building or a painting or be an asset in and of themselves. Cardano supports NFTs as native tokens. This means that anyone can mint their own NFTs on Cardano without needing a smart contract, which avoids the error-prone complexity found in Ether...
Information about a digital file. In smart contracts, metadata sets out the conditions under which a deal should execute. In a non-fungible token, metadata can hold information about the ownership or intellectual rights, among other things.
How a node stores information about unconfirmed transactions. The mempool is essentially a holding area for transactions that haven't been included in a block yet.
The sub unit for ada. One ada = 1,000,000 lovelaces. The name comes from Ada Lovelace, the daughter of Lord Byron who became a mathematician and programmer with her work on Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine project.