- Cardano V11范罗森 is now live on the preview testnet, protocol version 11.
- PreProd has made further progress during the promotion phase but is still awaiting final approval.
- The governance vote for the Cardano mainnet V11 hard fork is still scheduled to take place around May 29.
The Cardano V11 Van Rossem upgrade preview testnet has officially launched, marking another significant step in Cardano’s broader hard fork roadmap. The preview environment is currently running on protocol version 11, following a governance proposal submitted on May 5 and officially enacted on May 8. Although this phase currently affects only the testnet, it brings Cardano closer to the anticipated mainnet governance vote around May 29.
The V11 upgrade is part of Cardano’s ongoing efforts to enhance the scalability, developer efficiency, and infrastructure security of the entire ecosystem. Based on development progress updates, the new version aims to accelerate smart contract execution speed and reduce costs, while introducing stronger cryptographic features and providing stricter protections for stake pool operators. Currently, Cardano encourages developers and infrastructure providers across the ecosystem to adapt their tools and services to the upgraded framework prior to the official release.
The Cardano infrastructure team is preparing for version V11.
A key part of the rollout involves cardano-node v11.0.1, which is the required node version capable of operating across the hard fork boundary and subsequently supporting protocol version 11. Stake pool operators and infrastructure teams have been asked to begin upgrading their systems to this version, and preparations for the testnet environment are ongoing.
Meanwhile, DB-Sync v13.7.0.5 has also been released. Officially supported for all Cardano networks. This is critical for downstream services and applications that rely on indexed blockchain data, as DB-Sync helps external tools remain compatible during major network upgrades. Such backend adjustments rarely attract attention outside developer circles, but they are essential for maintaining stability during transitions like this one.
The overall development plan for V11 appears to place strong emphasis on phased deployment rather than launching the mainnet too early. Each environment undergoes separate testing, readiness checks, and governance approval before final launch.
Pre-production work is underway but still pending approval.
Significant progress has been made on Cardano’s PreProd environment, although some delays have occurred during the upgrade. The updated Plutus cost model for PreProd officially took effect on May 16 at 00:00 UTC, and the network hard fork has been activated on-chain. However, the final approval phase has not yet been completed.
According to reports, the Hard Fork Working Group has delayed the full... recommendation due to concerns regarding ecosystem readiness (primarily related to Ogmios, which developers currently view as a critical infrastructure dependency). The community team and Input Output engineers are actively addressing pull requests and fixes to resolve the remaining issues before moving to the next stage.
Developers are also advised to conduct comprehensive testing of their applications against the updated Plutus cost model, as the latest changes have increased several parameter values. Testing is expected to continue until the mainnet launch.
The mainnet governance vote is still scheduled for May 29.
Currently, the overall timeline still points to May 29 as the target date for the Cardano mainnet hard fork governance. Action However, this timeline still depends on... Successful testnet progress, pre-production environment approvals, and the readiness of the entire ecosystem. In other words, the timeline is still on track, but only if all remaining checkpoints are successfully completed.
The hard fork working group continues to hold two coordination meetings per week, with teams tracking integration efforts, infrastructure upgrades, and testing progress across the ecosystem. These meetings have effectively become the operational hub for the V11 release process, while network participants also prepare for the final governance phase.
Currently, the preview version has been upgraded to protocol version 11, the pre-production version has gone live and is awaiting approval, and preparations for the mainnet are ongoing behind the scenes. On the surface, this process may appear gradual, but Cardano’s upgrade strategy clearly prioritizes layered testing and ecosystem coordination before formally deploying major protocol changes.