Share this article
Cardano Scaling Node Hydra Head Goes Live on Blockchain's Mainnet
The tool, the first in a planned suite of products, aims to speed up transaction times on Cardano.
Updated May 12, 2023, 1:42 p.m. Published May 12, 2023, 7:52 a.m.
Make us preferred on Google
Hydra Head, a scaling tool to make transactions on the Cardano blockchain even faster, is now active on the mainnet, the developers tweeted Thursday.
The tool is the first in a planned suite of products. Each Hydra Head works as an off-chain “mini ledger” shared between a small group of participants, helping speed up transactions while lowering fees significantly.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
🐲 0.10.0 is out!
— Sebastian Nagel (@ch1bo_) May 11, 2023
After demonstrating Hydra heads on the Cardano mainnet in recent monthly review sessions, we have released the first mainnet compatible version of hydra-node today.
Check out the full release notes over here:https://t.co/Kl3KTyVnSX
Developers can use Hydra Heads to add specialized, complex decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols on top of Cardano, according to the technical documentatoin.
The node’s release is the latest of several DeFi-focused upgrades on Cardano this year. January saw the launch of Cardano-based decentralized stablecoin djed, and in February, Cardano developer IOG proposed a way of improving cross-chain transactions.
Cardano's native ada token is little changed in the past 24 hours, outperforming the broader crypto market which fell 3.3%, according to CoinGecko data.
More For You
Pudgy Penguins is building a multi-vertical consumer IP platform — combining phygital products, games, NFTs and PENGU to monetize culture at scale.
What to know:
Pudgy Penguins is emerging as one of the strongest NFT-native brands of this cycle, shifting from speculative “digital luxury goods” into a multi-vertical consumer IP platform. Its strategy is to acquire users through mainstream channels first; toys, retail partnerships and viral media, then onboard them into Web3 through games, NFTs and the PENGU token.
The ecosystem now spans phygital products (> $13M retail sales and >1M units sold), games and experiences (Pudgy Party surpassed 500k downloads in two weeks), and a widely distributed token (airdropped to 6M+ wallets). While the market is currently pricing Pudgy at a premium relative to traditional IP peers, sustained success depends on execution across retail expansion, gaming adoption and deeper token utility.
More For You
Deus X CEO Tim Grant: We aren't replacing finance; we're integrating it
The Deus X CEO discussed his journey into digital assets, the company's infrastructure-led growth strategy, and why his Consensus Hong Kong panel promises "real talk only."
What to know:
- Tim Grant entered crypto in 2015 after early exposure to Ripple and Coinbase, drawn by blockchain’s ability to improve traditional finance rather than replace it.
- Deus X combines investing and operating to build regulated digital finance infrastructure across payments, prime services, and institutional DeFi.
- Grant will be speaking at Consensus Hong Kong in February.
Top Stories
