Cardano News: Dijkstra Hard Fork Roadmap Unveiled for 2026

Key Insights:

• Cardano news reports that the network will roll out the Dijkstra hard fork in two phases, with Linear Leios targeted for 2026.
• Peras activation is scheduled for Q2 2027 after Dijkstra Phase One lands.
• Amaru targets Cardano mainnet block production in November 2026.

Cardano news took a new turn after Intersect reported the route plan for the Dijkstra hard fork. The plan lists two phases for introducing new network capabilities and structural changes.

As per the report, phase one targets Q4 2026 and introduces Linear Leios with several transaction and ledger enhancements. Phase two will start in Q2 2027 with the activation of Ouroboros Peras.

Cardano News: Cardano Upgrade Enters First Phase

According to Cardano news, the Cardano upgrade will begin with Protocol Version 12 during the Dijkstra era. This phase will activate Ouroboros Linear Leios through a hard fork. Linear Leios will increase throughput while keeping the security guarantees of the Praos protocol.

The system will use Ranking Blocks and Endorser Blocks to handle additional transaction references. Ranking Blocks will remain based on existing Praos blocks with additional announcement fields.

In addition, Endorser Blocks will contain references to additional transactions rather than the transactions themselves.

After an Endorser Block is certified, a subsequent Ranking Block applies its transactions to the ledger. The certification requires aggregated signatures representing a 75% quorum of active stakeholders. This structure allows Cardano to process more transactions without requiring larger blocks or faster slots.

The first phase also includes Nested Transactions under CIP-118 and Guard Scripts under CIP-112. Account Address Enhancement Phase 1 will establish ledger-level definitions for account-style addresses. The upgrade will also remove the isValid field from transactions and introduce the PlutusV4 Script Context.

Cardano News Outlines Testing Before Mainnet

The Cardano news comes with a staged testing process before the network reaches mainnet activation. A Dijkstra-compatible node will first become available for testnet operators. The Preview hard fork will then begin a testing window lasting about two weeks.

That testing period will cover integration checks, tooling validation, Endorser Block propagation, and throughput benchmarking. Pre-production testing will follow for approximately one to two weeks. The process will then move toward a mainnet governance action.

Mainnet activation will require the Hard Fork Initiation action and governance ratification. However, the roadmap does not provide a specific mainnet activation date. Phase one will also establish structural requirements needed for the later Peras activation.

Peras remains scheduled for an intra-era hard fork during Q2 2027. The related block structures and protocol parameters must therefore come in during Dijkstra’s first phase. This preparation allows the second phase to activate Peras without creating another ledger era.

ADA Price and Additional Dijkstra Preparations

CoinMarketCap data showed that ADA price traded at $0.176753. The 24-hour trading volume stood at $114,136,558, while its market capitalization was at $6,461,346,460.

Meanwhile, Intersect reported continued progress on Amaru, a Cardano node implementation written in Rust. The node can currently relay, validate, and synchronize with the network tip. Its developers target mainnet block production for November 2026.

The Dijkstra preparations also include a technical update to Cardano’s Constitution. The change seeks to support the governance of the network’s new capabilities from activation onward. CIP-181 will remove the DRep norm for reward withdrawals, while CIP-50 introduces a leverage parameter for staking rewards.

The CIP-50 parameter will keep the existing reward behavior through its default setting. In addition, CIP-23 will also introduce the structure for Fair Min Fees during phase one.

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