Kachina: privacy-preserving smart contracts

Leveraging ZK Snarks to enable privacy-preserving smart contract functionality without sacrificing decentralization characteristics

5 August 2022 Olga Hryniuk 4 mins read

Kachina: privacy-preserving smart contracts

Smart contracts present a standard approach to expressing complex interactions between two or more parties willing to exchange currencies or data in a decentralized way. Smart contracts are effectively automated digital agreements on a blockchain. Written in code, they can track, verify and execute the binding transactions of a contract when predetermined conditions are met. To…

Layer 1 & Layer 2: all you need to know

When discussing blockchain architecture, the terms 'layer 1' and 'layer 2' are frequently mentioned. These are important concepts that serve two purposes: explain how a blockchain network is built, and provide an easy-to-understand visual representation of what a blockchain network looks like. Let's break these ideas down

5 August 2022 Fernando Sanchez 13 mins read

Layer 1 & Layer 2: all you need to know

Layer 1: definition

Imagine a wedding cake, with different tiers -layers, if you will-, and the figurine of a couple on top. That beautiful cake rests on a solid stand, the base. For all intents and purposes, that robust and solid cake stand is the first layer (layer 1) that supports the cake infrastructure. You can probably see where this is going. In a blockchain, layer 1 is…

How to stake your ada?

By helping to validate the Cardano blockchain, you earn ada rewards

28 July 2022 Ivan Irakoze <1 min read

For more details about staking and delegation, read 'Staking is the bedrock of Cardano'.

Staking is the bedrock of Cardano

Delegation helps keep the blockchain growing – and ada holders are rewarded for participating

28 July 2022 Anthony Quinn 8 mins read

Staking is the bedrock of Cardano

Each month, a few more Cardano stake pools are being created, so far bringing the total number of active pools to more than 3,000. At the start of 2021, there were about 2,000. The ada is staked from 1.2 million wallet addresses. In the process, the level of delegation has increased to almost 74% of all the ada in circulation. That’s some achievement, but it still leaves a…

An analysis of the research underpinning Cardano's scalability

Taking a closer look at IOG research, part 4. How layer 1 and layer 2 solutions create a faster and more resilient blockchain

19 July 2022 Olga Hryniuk 7 mins read

An analysis of the research underpinning Cardano's scalability

Before you start, read:

  • Part 1: Cardano's foundational research overview
  • Part 2: Overview of the research enabling smart contract support on Cardano
  • Part 3: Research overview: tokens, stablecoins, and fees

Previous blog posts delved into the foundational research that enabled Cardano’s multi-functional ledger support for expressive smart contracts and native assets.

As part of the Basho development phase, Cardano is undergoing steady upgrades and optimizations for increased scalability and interoperability. The ‘How we are scaling Cardano in 2022’ post reflected on Cardano’s scalability goals, and also discussed interoperability and the role of sidechains