Major Step for Cardano: Hard Fork Submitted to Preview Ahead of Mainnet
TL;DR
Cardano's van Rossem hard fork has been submitted to the preview test network, marking a key milestone towards its mainnet launch. The Cardano Node version 11.0.1 Pre-Release is now available, essential for the upgrade process.
Key points
- van Rossem hard fork submitted to preview test network
- Cardano Node version 11.0.1 Pre-Release now available
- Upgrade to Protocol Version 11 enhances Plutus performance
Cardano has reached a significant milestone as the van Rossem hard fork takes a step closer to mainnet launch. According to Intersect, a member-based organization in the Cardano ecosystem, the van Rossem hard fork has been submitted to the preview test network.
ATTENTION 📣
The van Rossem Hard Fork GA has been submitted to the Preview test network today.
Cardano Node version 11.0.1 Pre-Release is also now available. This version is an essential requirement to safely cross the hard fork. SPOs, DApps and… pic.twitter.com/UotUWDtuet
— Intersect (@IntersectMBO) May 5, 2026 Cardano Node version 11.0.1 Pre-Release, an essential requirement to safely cross the hard fork, has also gone live, with SPOs, DApps and developers on preview urged to upgrade as soon as possible. Node 11.0.1 is regarded as the first node release to support the Cardano intra-era hard fork, enabling the upgrade to protocol version 11 once the hard fork governance action has been voted on by the SPOs, DReps, the Constitutional Committee and enacted on-chain. The release also bumps cardano-api and cardano-cli to their 11.0 series and advances the experimental hard fork target to protocol version 12, among other improvements.
Cardano Van Rossem hard fork
The van Rossem intra-era hard fork will upgrade Cardano preview to Protocol Version 11. As part of the upgrade, the Cardano mainnet protocol will be upgraded to Major Version 11 and Minor Version 0. As the ledger remains in the Conway era, there would not be an era transition. Protocol Version 11 bundles a focused set of improvements to Plutus performance, ledger consistency, and node-level security into a single intra-era upgrade. Given that it is an intra-era hard fork, transaction shape does not change and ecosystem upgrade effort is minimized. Several new Plutus primitives will be available following the upgrade, as defined in CIP-0109, CIP-0132, CIP-0133, CIP-0138 and CIP-0153. The upgrade unifies the set of built-in functions across Plutus V1, V2 and V3. The full set of built-ins (including those introduced) will become available across all Plutus language versions following the hard fork, expanding the capabilities of existing Plutus V1 and V2 scripts. In line with the Cardano Constitution, at least 85% of stake pools by active stake should have upgraded to a version of the node that can support protocol version 11 before ratification of this governance action.
Q&A
What is the significance of the van Rossem hard fork for Cardano?
The van Rossem hard fork will upgrade Cardano to Protocol Version 11, enhancing Plutus performance, ledger consistency, and node-level security.
When will the Cardano mainnet upgrade occur after the preview test network?
The mainnet upgrade will occur once the governance action is voted on and enacted on-chain by the stake pool operators and other governing bodies.
What improvements does Cardano Protocol Version 11 include?
Protocol Version 11 includes enhancements to Plutus performance, security, and introduces several new Plutus primitives as part of the intra-era upgrade.
