The core stack every Cardano application runs on.
IO Labs leads protocol research and core engineering on Cardano, in structured collaboration with specialist partners across the ecosystem. Together, the teams build and maintain the core stack every Cardano application runs on: node, networking, consensus, ledger, and smart contracts. Each layer has a focused team behind it. Open source. Peer-reviewed. Live on mainnet.
Components
Node
The engine that runs Cardano. The node validates transactions, keeps the ledger current, and produces or relays blocks. Every wallet, exchange, and dApp on Cardano connects through it. Maintained by Ensurable Systems, in collaboration with IO Labs.
Repository: github.com/IntersectMBO/cardano-node
Networking
The layer that moves data between every node on Cardano. Fast, reliable, and built to scale with the network. Maintained by Ensurable Systems, in collaboration with IO Labs.
Repository: github.com/IntersectMBO/ouroboros-network
Consensus
Ouroboros is the consensus protocol that keeps Cardano honest. It coordinates block production across thousands of distributed stake pools, so the network reaches agreement without ever compromising security. The most peer-reviewed consensus protocol in the industry. Researched and engineered by IO Labs.
Repository: github.com/IntersectMBO/ouroboros-consensus
Ledger
Cardano's rules live in the ledger. It defines how transactions are validated and how chain state evolves. Predictable, deterministic, and identical for every participant on the network. Maintained by Ensurable Systems, in collaboration with IO Labs.
Repository: github.com/IntersectMBO/cardano-ledger
Smart Contracts
Cardano supports smart contracts in multiple languages. Plutus, the native smart contract platform, gives developers deterministic execution and formal verification. Contracts that do exactly what they say, every time. Co-developed by IO Labs and VacuumLabs.
Repository: github.com/IntersectMBO/plutus
Components
The engine that runs Cardano. The node validates transactions, keeps the ledger current, and produces or relays blocks. Every wallet, exchange, and dApp on Cardano connects through it. Maintained by Ensurable Systems, in collaboration with IO Labs.
Repository: github.com/IntersectMBO/cardano-node
The layer that moves data between every node on Cardano. Fast, reliable, and built to scale with the network. Maintained by Ensurable Systems, in collaboration with IO Labs.
Repository: github.com/IntersectMBO/ouroboros-network
Ouroboros is the consensus protocol that keeps Cardano honest. It coordinates block production across thousands of distributed stake pools, so the network reaches agreement without ever compromising security. The most peer-reviewed consensus protocol in the industry. Researched and engineered by IO Labs.
Repository: github.com/IntersectMBO/ouroboros-consensus
Cardano's rules live in the ledger. It defines how transactions are validated and how chain state evolves. Predictable, deterministic, and identical for every participant on the network. Maintained by Ensurable Systems, in collaboration with IO Labs.
Repository: github.com/IntersectMBO/cardano-ledger
Cardano supports smart contracts in multiple languages. Plutus, the native smart contract platform, gives developers deterministic execution and formal verification. Contracts that do exactly what they say, every time. Co-developed by IO Labs and VacuumLabs.
Repository: github.com/IntersectMBO/plutus