Cardano released node version 11.1.1 ahead of its next major network era, completing the first of four planned node milestones supporting the Dijkstra hard fork.
Summary
- Cardano node 11.1.1 has shipped, removing legacy tracing and addressing known Genesis-related operational issues.
- Node 11.2 will open most Dijkstra features for testing while excluding Leios consensus components initially.
- DijkstraNet is expected after node 11.2 for Plutus V4, nested transactions and CIP-50 testing publicly.
- Intersect’s moderate-confidence hard-fork window runs December 5 through January 4, pending readiness and governance approval.
- Peras remains planned for a separate intra-era hard fork during the second quarter of 2027.
Intersect’s container registry shows that version 11.1.1 was published during the weekend ending Sept. 6. The release removes Cardano’s legacy tracing system and addresses known Genesis-related issues. It also responds to increased memory use identified during testing of node 11.1.0.
The maintenance release arrived as Intersect published a more detailed Dijkstra schedule. Node versions 11.2 and 11.3, followed by the final protocol version 12 release, will progressively introduce the code required for testing and mainnet activation.
Intersect currently places a possible Dijkstra enactment between Dec. 5, 2026, and Jan. 4, 2027, under its “moderate confidence” timeline. A later “high confidence” window runs from Feb. 24 to March 26, 2027.
Those windows remain estimates. Cardano must complete development, public testing, ecosystem preparation and on-chain governance before the hard fork can activate.
Cardano node 11.1.1 begins the release sequence
Node 11.1.1 is available through Intersect’s official GitHub container registry. Intersect had previously targeted the week beginning Sept. 7, meaning the package appeared slightly ahead of that stated window.
The release does not activate the Dijkstra era or introduce the full set of planned ledger features. It is a maintenance and preparation update intended for current mainnet use.
Version 11.1.1 removes the older tracing infrastructure used to monitor node operations. Cardano’s development reporting also said it would address higher resident memory use observed in node 11.1.0 benchmarks.
The release registry includes standard, AMD64 and ARM64 versions. Availability across different processor architectures is relevant for stake pool operators and developers running Cardano infrastructure on varied hardware.
Node 11.2 is the next planned milestone. Intersect expects it within about one month of its Sept. 5 update. The version will contain most of the Dijkstra feature set for testing, but it will not be the final hard-fork candidate.
Leios components will be absent from node 11.2 because they primarily concern consensus and block production. Developers should still be able to test the remaining Dijkstra ledger and transaction features.
DijkstraNet will test Cardano’s new transaction features
Intersect plans to launch a public network called DijkstraNet after node 11.2 becomes available. The testnet will let developers, stake pool operators and tooling providers test the broader protocol version 12 feature set.
DijkstraNet is expected to include Plutus V4, Nested Transactions and CIP-50 parameters. Other ledger changes tracked in Cardano’s public development repository include new script types, address changes, block-body serialization revisions and changes to reward withdrawals.
Nested Transactions would allow one Cardano transaction to contain other transactions while preserving separate validation conditions. This structure could support more complex applications, coordinated actions and multi-party workflows without requiring every step to operate as an unrelated transaction.
Plutus V4 represents the next version of Cardano’s smart-contract language and execution environment. Testing will be needed to confirm that wallets, decentralized applications, indexers and developer tools correctly interpret the new ledger rules.
CIP-50 concerns pledge leverage and staking rewards. Its inclusion means stake pool operators will need to examine how new parameters could affect incentives and pool economics before mainnet activation.
The official Dijkstra readiness tracker remains open and marked as work in progress. It will close only after developers prepare a node capable of completing the hard fork into a functional Dijkstra era.
DijkstraNet will operate alongside MusashiNet rather than replacing it. MusashiNet is already live and concentrates on Leios, consensus and block-production testing.
This separation allows ledger features and the new consensus architecture to progress in parallel. Results must eventually converge in the node version selected as the hard-fork candidate.
Node 11.3 will combine Dijkstra with Linear Leios
Cardano node 11.3 is expected within one to two months, according to Intersect’s Sept. 5 update. It is intended to become the Dijkstra hard-fork release candidate.
Unlike node 11.2, version 11.3 is expected to contain the full Dijkstra feature set, including Linear Leios. It should also be capable of crossing from the current Conway ledger era into Dijkstra during test-network rehearsals.
Linear Leios is Cardano’s planned first-stage implementation of Ouroboros Leios. It adds parallel transaction-processing structures around the existing Praos consensus design. The goal is to increase throughput without replacing the security assumptions of Cardano’s base chain.
Testing must examine more than raw transaction capacity. Developers need to evaluate block propagation, network bandwidth, resource use, synchronization, recovery behavior and performance under adverse conditions.
Cardano node 12.0 will become the definitive protocol version 12 release under the project’s naming convention. Intersect has not assigned a publication date.
Intersect described the December-to-January period as a “moderate confidence” window, not a guaranteed activation date.
The organization’s later window, running from Feb. 24 to March 26, allows more time for testing and governance if the earlier schedule cannot be met. Neither window is a fixed hard-fork date.
As previously reported when Cardano published its phased Dijkstra roadmap, the year-end target originally referred partly to code completion. Mainnet activation remains conditional on technical readiness and community approval.
Governance must approve Cardano’s Dijkstra hard fork
Cardano cannot activate Dijkstra solely through a software release. The network’s on-chain governance system must approve the constitutional and hard-fork actions required for protocol version 12.
Some new Dijkstra parameters need to be incorporated into the Cardano Constitution’s guardrails before governance can modify them. Intersect has asked participants to monitor its Constitutional Amendment Portal for related proposals.
A constitutional change requires approval under Cardano’s governance rules. A separate hard-fork initiation action must then obtain the required support from delegated representatives, stake pool operators and the Constitutional Committee.
This process was tested during the van Rossem hard fork. As crypto.news reported following its July activation, van Rossem moved Cardano to protocol version 11 after completing the network’s full on-chain approval process.
Van Rossem remained within the Conway era but added Plutus changes and prepared technical foundations for Dijkstra. It was Cardano’s first mainnet hard fork enacted entirely through the current governance framework.
The Dijkstra transition will be broader because it changes the ledger era and introduces more extensive consensus, transaction and smart-contract capabilities. Exchanges, wallets, explorers and decentralized applications must be ready before activation.
Intersect is encouraging stake pool operators and developers to join MusashiNet and DijkstraNet testing. It has also scheduled node-diversity workshops in Singapore on Oct. 6 and London on Nov. 13 and 14.
Amaru, an alternative Cardano node written in Rust, forms another part of that preparation. It can already validate and synchronize with the chain tip, while mainnet block production remains targeted for November 2026.
Node diversity could reduce the network’s reliance on a single Haskell implementation. It also creates another testing requirement because alternative clients must interpret the protocol rules consistently.
Peras remains a separate 2027 upgrade
Cardano’s Dijkstra plan has two phases. Phase 1 covers the era transition, Nested Transactions and Linear Leios. Developers are targeting mainnet readiness around the end of 2026, subject to testing and governance.
Phase 2 will activate Ouroboros Peras through a separate intra-era hard fork. Intersect currently targets the second quarter of 2027.
Peras adds stake-based voting on recent chain tips to accelerate settlement. The design aims to provide stronger confirmation sooner than relying only on the normal chain-depth rules of Ouroboros Praos.
Phase 1 will install some of the codecs and protocol parameters needed for Peras. It will not activate the finality mechanism itself. Peras will require its own testnet deployments, readiness checks and governance action.
No verified ADA price movement could be attributed solely to the node release or Intersect’s revised windows. The roadmap provides measurable technical milestones, but the final activation date remains dependent on development and governance.
The next checkpoints are the adoption of node 11.1.1, release of node 11.2, public opening of DijkstraNet and publication of the required constitutional amendments. Node 11.3 will then determine whether Cardano is technically ready to rehearse the full era transition.
FAQs
What is the Cardano Dijkstra hard fork?
Dijkstra is Cardano’s planned transition to protocol version 12. It will introduce a new ledger era, Nested Transactions, Plutus V4 changes and Linear Leios.
Has Cardano node 11.1.1 been released?
Yes. Intersect’s official GitHub package registry shows version 11.1.1 was published before the week beginning Sept. 7.
When will DijkstraNet launch?
Intersect expects DijkstraNet after node 11.2. The node is targeted within about one month of the organization’s Sept. 5 update.
When will Cardano activate Dijkstra?
Intersect’s earlier estimated window runs from Dec. 5, 2026, to Jan. 4, 2027. Its higher-confidence window runs from Feb. 24 to March 26, 2027. Neither is guaranteed.
Is Peras included in the first Dijkstra hard fork?
No. Phase 1 will prepare some required structures, but Peras activation is planned through another hard fork in the second quarter of 2027.
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