Cardano Welcomes Major Node Release as Chang Preparations Heighten

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As a seasoned crypto investor with a deep interest in the Cardano blockchain, I am thrilled to witness this latest development in the Cardano ecosystem. The release of Cardano Node 9.1.0 marks an important milestone as we edge closer to the much-anticipated Chang upgrade.

The Cardano project has made a notable advancement with the unveiling of a substantial node improvement. This development occurs as anticipation builds for the upcoming Chang enhancement on the Cardano network.

Cardano Node 9.1.0 has been released, representing a significant step toward the Chang hard fork.

Announcement: The new version of cardano-node, 9.1.0, is now available.

— Cardano Updates (@cardano_updates) July 25, 2024

In accordance with a Github announcement, the upcoming Cardano Node version 9.1.0 is slated to serve as the mainnet contender for Chang Upgrade #1. This upgrade introduces governance capabilities to Cardano and initiates the technical preparations outlined in CIP-1694 Bootstrapping Phase. Notably, this new Node iteration represents an update to the configuration file of a previously released Node 9.0.0.

In the early part of July, Node version 9.0.0 became available. This release marked the first Node capable of traversing the Chang hard fork boundary on both the main network and extended test networks like PreProd.

What’s new?

In version 9.1.0 of the Cardano node, you’ll find all necessary features for surmounting the upcoming Chang hard fork. The primary difference between this and the previous 9.0.0 version lies in the mandatory use of a Conway genesis file during initialization. This file was previously optional but is now essential to facilitate the transition through the Chang hard fork.

As a Cardano analyst, I’m excited to share that the latest node release, version 9.1.0, comes packed with several improvements and bug fixes. For the Command Line Interface (CLI) and Application Programming Interface (API) users, there’s a new “query treasury” command, which allows you to check the balance and distribution of ADA in the Cardano treasury. Additionally, this update ensures full compatibility with recently approved Cardano Improvement Proposals CIP69 and CIP119.

Following the recent update, it is recommended that Cardano Stake Pool Operators (SPOs) and essential node users, such as exchanges, explorers, and wallets, upgrade to the latest node version. Once a significant number of SPOs and exchanges have upgraded, a proposal for activating the Chang hard fork will be put forth.

Chang hard fork

With the Chang upgrade, we’ll roll out governance capabilities in a phased manner, allowing for smoother adoption and onboarding for those assuming new or expanded roles within Cardano’s governance structure. In other words, instead of releasing all governance features at once, we’ll introduce them incrementally to make the process more manageable.

With Chang Upgrade #2, CIP-1694 transitions beyond its technical foundational stage, granting access to the complete suite of on-chain governance capabilities. This includes the ability to participate in Decentralized Representative (DRep) elections and execute all governance procedures.

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2024-07-25 17:49