Cardano Hard Fork Upgrade Nears With Node 10.7.0 Release

TLDR

• Cardano expects the Node 10.7.0 Target prerelease within days as part of Protocol 11 preparations.
• Node 10.7.0 serves as one of the required releases for the van Rossem hard fork.
• Developers will integrate the new node into ecosystem tools and conduct performance testing.
• Version 10.7.x will transition to version 11 to fork the Preview and PreProd testnets.
• The Protocol 11 upgrade introduces new Plutus built-ins, including CIP-138 and CIP-153.

Cardano advances preparations for its intra-era upgrade to Protocol 11, known as the van Rossem hard fork. Intersect confirmed that Cardano Node 10.7.0 Target prerelease should arrive within days. The release sets the stage for ecosystem integration and testing before the network moves toward testnet and mainnet upgrades.

Cardano Hard Fork Moves Closer With Node 10.7.0

Intersect reported that Cardano Node 10.7.0 Target prerelease is expected within days. The organization operates as a member-based body within the Cardano ecosystem. It outlined the release timeline in a recent technical update.

Cardano Node 10.7.0 stands as one of two required releases for the van Rossem hard fork. Earlier, developers deployed Node 10.6.2 in February to begin preparations. Now, the upcoming version introduces new features beyond hard fork functionality.

The ecosystem will integrate Node 10.7.0 into tooling once developers publish the release. Teams will conduct integration testing and performance checks across services. Dependent on results, developers may issue further minor updates.

Intersect stated, “Cardano Node 10.7.0 Target prerelease is expected within a few days.” The group added that prerelease 10.7.0 supports feature testing. Version 10.7.x will later transition to version 11 for testnet forks.

Developers will promote version 11 to fork the Preview and PreProd testnets. After testnet validation, they will prepare for the mainnet fork. The upgrade process follows established Cardano governance procedures.

Protocol 11 Introduces New Plutus Built-Ins

The Cardano hard fork to Protocol 11 will introduce new Plutus built-ins. These include CIP-138 for Array type support. They also include CIP-153 for the MaryEraValue type.

Developers will add CIP-109 for modular exponentiation functionality. They will also implement the CIP-132 drop list built in. In parallel, CIP-133 enables multi-scalar multiplication over BLS12-381.

Intersect confirmed that SanchoNet already runs Protocol version 11. Therefore, developers can test the new built-ins on that network. Scalus updated its smart contract tooling to support these features.

The upgrade does not change the transaction shape. As a result, teams expect limited disruption to existing integrations. Hardware wallets should face no serialization issues under this release.

DBSync compatible with Node 10.7.0 will follow soon after the release. Intersect stated that no serialization changes are included. The upgrade focuses on performance improvements and cleaner ledger rules.

The van Rossem hard fork operates as a small intra-era upgrade. It enhances Plutus performance and introduces new cryptographic capabilities. Existing smart contracts will continue operating without breaking changes.