Decentralization of Cardano puts responsibility for running blockchain in hands of stake pools
according to a cardano usersDecentralization of the “sun,” networking layer, or P2P networking, is the most anticipated upgrade since the Vasil hard fork event. The P2P upgrade hopes to make Cardano a far more decentralized and resilient network than it is now.
At the heart of the Cardano network are 3,198 stake pools run by operators (SPOs) who manage the distributed nodes that keep the network running. It goes without saying that there needs to be reliable communication between these nodes in a decentralized and distributed network.
Cardano’s decentralization has put the responsibility of running the blockchain in the hands of the stake pool. An essential element in this is reliable and effective connections between all distributed nodes and ensuring that the network is resilient to failure.
In December 2021, Cardano kicked off an important initiative to support its ongoing drive toward full decentralization with the launch of the peer-to-peer (P2P) testnet. P2P communication hopes to improve the flow of information between nodes.
For now, the Topology Updater will continue to work as a workaround until Cardano is fully converted to a P2P network. The Cardano network will be fully decentralized once the P2P nodes are fully deployed, eliminating the need for centralized services such as topology updaters on the network.
What remains for Cardano’s P2P networking upgrade
In a thread of tweets, “Sooraj” highlights that “According to the latest information available from InputOutputHK, the P2P development is feature complete & all the essential testing has been done. It is undergoing a review of design & implementation. The rollout of P2P nodes will occur in a gradual manner.”
In other news, Cardano founder, Charles HoskinsonResponding to one critic speaks on the network’s credentials, “150 papers, 3-million-person community in 100+ countries, 1,000+ project builds on Cardano, higher brand engagement than IBM and BMW, listed on 200 exchanges, as always Ongoing launch, adopted by countries and Fortune 500 companies.”
The much anticipated Vasil upgrade is “closer than ever” as SPOs, developers and exchanges are currently performing final integration testing and upgrading in preparation for the hard fork combinator event.
