Cardano merges key Leios code as IOG targets up to 15x capacity gain
In brief
- Cardano's consensus team merged Praos2, LeiosNotify and LeiosFetch into its main development branch.
- Endorser-block selection and retrieval work remains outstanding, per the development report.
- IOG targets a 3-5x capacity increase at Dijkstra launch, then 10-15x after later adjustments.
- Later increases depend on performance testing plus CAP-12 and hard-fork governance approvals.
What got merged
Cardano's consensus team integrated Praos2 into its main development branch, according to the report. Praos2 combines the network's existing consensus protocol with Leios. The team also merged the LeiosNotify and LeiosFetch components, which help nodes exchange the information they need to process additional transaction batches.
It isn't finished.
Selection and retrieval of those batches (known as endorser blocks) is still outstanding. Developers also tightened checks on endorser-block announcements and cryptographic certificates in the Leios prototype, and they've restricted the new Leios header format to Dijkstra and later protocol versions. That meant restarting the prototype testnet from its initial state and updating participating nodes. Mainnet wasn't affected.
The capacity math
IOG estimates the current Ouroboros Praos system tops out at roughly 4.5 kilobytes of transaction data per second, partly because blocks have to propagate quickly to preserve consensus. Leios adds endorser blocks so extra transactions can be validated and certified separately from ordinary block production.
The initial rollout targets about 13.5 to 22.5 KB/s, according to IOG, with later increases potentially reaching 45 to 67.5 KB/s (actual transaction counts depend on transaction sizes and computational requirements). Those are targets, not results.
Votes still ahead
Cardano hasn't started testing Dijkstra's new protocol rules on its public testnet. On Oct. 24, Intersect reported that the testnet, restarted three days earlier, was running Cardano's existing Conway rules on node version 11.1.3. Moving to Dijkstra's protocol version 12 requires the upcoming node 11.2 prerelease and a hard-fork initiation action.
Governance is the bigger gate. A constitutional amendment setting permitted ranges for Dijkstra's new parameters needs delegated representatives controlling at least 75% of the relevant voting stake, plus two-thirds of the Constitutional Committee. Intersect said that proposal (CAP-12) reached its fourth draft in October, though provisions on numerical parameter limits, pledge leverage settings and procedures for disabling Leios were still unsettled.
The hard fork needs its own approvals: DReps representing 60% of stake, stake-pool operators representing 51% and two-thirds of the committee. After Dijkstra goes live, operators must register BLS keys to help certify endorser blocks, and IOG estimates those keys should cover about 90% to 95% of delegated stake before activation.
So when does full scaling arrive? The timing's uncertain, because the later increases depend on performance testing and separate governance approvals.
Frequently asked questions
How does Leios increase Cardano's capacity?
Leios introduces endorser blocks, which allow additional transactions to be validated and certified separately from ordinary block production. IOG estimates the current Ouroboros Praos system has a ceiling of about 4.5 KB of transaction data per second, partly because blocks must propagate quickly to preserve consensus.
What approvals does Cardano's Leios rollout need?
A constitutional amendment (CAP-12) needs DReps controlling at least 75% of relevant voting stake and two-thirds of the Constitutional Committee. The Dijkstra hard fork separately needs DReps with 60% of stake, stake-pool operators with 51% and two-thirds of the committee.
When will Cardano reach 10 to 15 times its current capacity?
No date is set. IOG plans to reach 10 to 15 times the current ceiling through at least two adjustments after Dijkstra, but those increases depend on performance testing and separate governance approvals, so the timing is uncertain.
