Vasil is Almost Here

💡 As we wrote earlier Vasil is a significant Cardano upgrade, which is anticipated to bring increased network capacity and lower transactions cost. The upgrade will also bring multiple enhancements to Plutus to create more powerful and efficient blockchain-based applications.

This weekend the upgrade was set in motion after successfully passing all the tests:

Now it is supposed to seamlessly follow this timeline:

On September 27 new capabilities such as node and CLI support for reference inputs, inline datums, reference scripts, and collateral outputs alongside with a new Plutus cost model will become available for developers.

IOG team which has developed the upgrade will use the hard fork combinator to deploy ‘Vasil’ at the protocol level. Here is their description of the process:

“It’s like a relay race: one runner (in our case, running one protocol) enters the handover box where the other runner is waiting; they synchronise their speeds (so they’re perfectly compatible with each other) and then hand over the baton (operating the mainnet), and then the new runner with the baton continues from the handover box for the next lap”.

The 2020 Cardano upgrade (“Shelly”) introduced proof-of-stake to the network transforming it into the most decentralized proof-of-stake platform in the world with more than 3 000 active stake pools. In 2021 ‘Mary’ upgrade introduced NFTs and ‘Alonzo’s’ upgrade brought smart contract capability which was a huge step for the Cardano community. ‘Vasil’ is expected to TAKE the network to another level by bringing new possibilities for DApps deployment. No doubt it will have a major impact on the existing decentralized ecosystem. In a few days, we’ll see if the expectations are justified.