Input Output Global (IOG), the development team behind Cardano, has introduced a new update for Mithril, a solution that aims to enhance the efficiency and security of Cardano.
According to IOG on July 20, Mithril is in the testnet phase. It will be gradually rolled out to the mainnet in the upcoming months. While the full benefits will be realized over time, Cardano’s lead developer said it is confident that Mithril could significantly enhance the overall performance and capabilities of the mainnet.
Mithril is a stake-based signature scheme and protocol that aims to mainnet bolster security and streamline the network, paving the way for a wide range of applications and decentralized decision-making. With the release, Cardano’s network is expected to witness a surge in efficiency and capacity, catering to the growing demands of its thriving ecosystem.
IOG said Mithril can quickly and efficiently bootstrap a full Cardano node. Traditionally, node synchronization has been time-consuming with specific software and storage prerequisites. However, the solution changes the game by offering a hybrid approach, combining the benefits of running a full node with the ease of a lightweight client utilizing trusted third-party APIs.
To make this possible, the Mithril architecture comprises three main components: the aggregator, the signer, and the client. The Mithril signer operates transparently on top of existing Cardano nodes and plays a crucial role in generating key pairs and signing snapshots of the blockchain state.
These snapshots are then seamlessly coordinated and combined into Mithril multi-signatures by the trustless Mithril aggregator. The aggregated signatures create associated certificates and store the full Cardano database snapshot, ensuring data integrity and availability.
The development of the Mithril protocol began with a research paper published by IOG researchers in 2021. Subsequently, a proof-of-concept was released in August 2022, followed by extensive testing supported by volunteer stake pool operators (SPOs).
Cardano is in the Basho stage, where the primary goal is enhancing performance and scalability.
Although Cardano remains decentralized, with thousands of SPOs providing the necessary security and bolstered by Mithril, the platform aims to scale for enterprise-grade, high-demand dapps to operate smoothly. Currently, Cardano can process 250 transactions every second.
To enhance scalability, Cardano is improving on Hydra, a layer-2 scaling solution that uses isomorphic channels, and has touted the idea of sidechains. IOG also implemented Vasil, where diffusion pipelining was integrated.