Working with Cardano
Cardano in use
- transactions on Cardano in 30 days
- 681,555
- attributed to showcased apps
- 224,614
- curated apps to explore
- 104
- years on mainnet
- 9
Snapshot of the 30 days from August 22 to September 21, 2026.
Most active app per category, by on-chain transactions in the same period.
What makes Cardano different?
Predictable by design
Extended UTXO model
A Cardano transaction spends specific outputs and creates new ones, so its result and its fee can be checked before it is submitted. One transaction can have many inputs and outputs, paying several recipients or settling several trades together. Fees follow a fixed formula set by protocol parameters, not an auction.
Staking without strings
Non-custodial, liquid staking
Delegating ada to a stake pool never moves it out of your wallet. There is no lock-up period, no minimum amount to delegate, and no slashing: the protocol cannot take your ada as a penalty. Registering your stake key takes a refundable deposit, and you can spend or re-delegate at any time.
Governed on the chain itself
On-chain governance and treasury
Protocol changes, treasury spending and even the constitution are proposed and decided on-chain. Ada holders take part by delegating their voting power to a representative or by registering as one themselves. Stake pool operators and a constitutional committee provide checks and balances.
Backed by research
Peer review and formal methods
Cardano's core protocols were designed as academic research first, reviewed by other cryptographers, then implemented. The node is written in Haskell and the ledger is built with formal methods, so the code can be checked against its specification.
News
Latest News
Stay up to date with the latest developments, announcements, and community updates from the Cardano ecosystem.
Petrobras traces aviation fuel and renewable diesel claims on Cardano
A Book-and-Claim model ties aviation fuel certificates to verifiable claims, and production, transport, and use checkpoints cover renewable diesel, both with PUC-Rio's Ledger Labs.
CIP-113 programmable tokens merge into the main CIP repository
Programmable tokens carrying on-chain transfer rules clear their final review, node 11.1.3 fixes IPv4 decoding, and Cardano marks nine years since genesis.
Cardano Academy content joins UCLA Anderson blockchain coursework
The multi-year partnership places Cardano education in UCLA classes from 2027, adds five sponsored fellowships for early-stage companies, and includes a Web3 masterclass with sponsored certification.
Node 11.2 lines up Dijkstra as the CAP Portal opens wallet connect
Dijkstra's block format and Plutus V4 context are expected in 11.2 without Leios, the Board Election drew 139 votes, and Cardano native tokens reach Fireblocks.
Leios prototype database splits into rollback and settled files
Endorser Blocks move to the settled file in the background, Lace 2.3 reworks staking and DRep browsing, and Hydra fixes a Mesh SDK deposit lockout.
Fireblocks to add full support for Cardano native tokens
Fireblocks clients can custody, send, and receive Cardano native tokens under the same policy controls as other assets, with support expected by March 2027.