Cardano Share Video Detailing Hardfork Combinator Ahead of the Shelley Upgrade

Cardano (ADA) parent firm IOHK today released a technical explanation of Hardfork Combinator operations that would aid the blockchain transition from Byron to Shelley mainnet in an orderly manner.

IOHK Releases Details on Hardfork Combinator

In an announcement dated June 29, 2020, IOHK detailed the Hardfork combinator that would help the Cardano blockchain in the seamless deployment of the Shelley mainnet. IOHK released a video that explains the nitty-gritty of Cardano’s transition from Byron to Shelley.

The Hardfork combinator is a remarkable piece of technology, which plays a central role in the transition from Byron to Shelley. Very shortly, we'll be deploying it to the mainnet – here's a video demo test to show the tech in action @Cardano https://t.co/zNdXgd8YZR

— Input Output (@InputOutputHK) June 29, 2020

In essence, the Hardfork Combinator’s primary objective is to avoid an actual hard fork in the Cardano blockchain.

Typically, a hard fork or splitting up of a blockchain occurs when there is a disagreement between different entities running nodes on the network. This leads to a divergence in the network, subsequently leading to the creation of different versions of the protocol that later continue to evolve independently of the other network.

Last year’s Bitcoin Cash (BCH) hard fork is a prime example of how the disagreement between nodes can quickly turn things ugly for a network.

It’s worthy of note that the Hardfork Combinator allows nodes to operate under various protocols simultaneously. With regard to the Hardfork Combinator, the announcement by IOHK reads in part:

“The hard fork combinator gives us the capability for a node to speak multiple protocols (though only one at once!). While running the first protocol (i.e. Byron), it can be triggered by a special on-chain update whereupon it manages the smooth transition to running the next protocol (i.e. Shelley).”

According to the announcement, the Hardfork Combinator has been tested successfully against numerous mainnet candidates in “dry runs” and is currently being developed for deployment on the Byron mainnet.

Cardano Working the Extra Hour for Shelley Upgrade

As Cardano’s highly-anticipated Shelley upgrade inches closer, efforts have been amped up to ensure there is no hindrance during the transition of the smart contract platform.

Earlier this year, the genesis block of the Shelley mainnet was mined successfully in private beta. Similarly, earlier this month, Cardano launched the Shelley public testnet which opened the network for any operator willing to set up an ADA stake pool.