Cardano isn't in the Zypto App yet. Post the request to your followers, chains with the most demand get prioritized. All network data below stays live regardless.
Blocks by stake, peer reviewed.
Cardano runs on Ouroboros, a proof-of-stake protocol developed through academic peer review. ADA holders delegate stake to pools that take turns producing blocks. Four ideas make that work.
Epochs and slots
Ouroboros divides time into epochs and short slots. For each slot a leader is elected to produce the next block, with the chance of selection rising in proportion to stake. No mining, no Proof of Work.
Delegated stake
ADA holders delegate stake to stake pool operators and earn rewards. Your ADA never leaves your wallet and is never locked, so you keep custody and can move it at any time.
EUTXO accounting
Cardano tracks balances with an extended UTXO model rather than the account model used by Ethereum. Each output carries its own state, which makes transaction outcomes more predictable.
Capped supply
ADA has a maximum supply of 45 billion. No more than that will ever exist, and new ADA enters circulation gradually as staking rewards from a reserve until that cap is reached.
Broadcast
You send ADA. The transaction is signed with your private key and broadcast to the network, where nodes gather it into the pool of pending transactions.
Elect
Ouroboros elects a stake pool as slot leader for the current slot, with selection weighted by delegated stake. That pool gathers valid transactions into a new block.
Settle
The block is added to the chain and other nodes validate it. As more blocks build on top, the transaction settles and rewards flow to the pool and its delegators.
- Staking, delegate ADA to pools and earn rewards
- Native tokens, issued on the ledger without a contract
- Plutus contracts, a Haskell-based smart contract platform
- On-chain governance, ADA holders vote on funding and protocol
Cardano builds staking, native tokens and governance into the protocol, with Plutus available for custom logic, all delivered through a methodical, peer-reviewed development process.
A network secured by stake.
A qualitative look at Cardano's scale and how it is secured, the staking, decentralization and reliability behind it, not the price.
Delivered in eras. Cardano has shipped through named development eras, Byron, Shelley, Goguen, Basho and Voltaire, covering foundation, decentralization, smart contracts, scaling and governance.
ADA delegated to a stake pool stays in your wallet and is never locked, so you keep custody while earning staking rewards.
What Cardano is used for.
The network covers staking, DeFi, identity and a growing set of real-world deployments. Here is where it is actually used, and how it reaches into the wider crypto economy.
Staking
Delegating ADA to stake pools is the network's most common activity, helping secure the chain and earning rewards while ADA stays in self-custody.
DeFi
Plutus smart contracts power decentralized exchanges, lending and liquidity on Cardano, built on the extended UTXO model rather than an account model.
Identity
Cardano has been used for decentralized identity work, giving people verifiable credentials they control, with pilots tied to education and public services.
Real-world projects
Cardano has been deployed in real-world settings including education and agriculture projects across several countries, alongside its on-chain governance and treasury.
A research-first chain
Unlike chains that ship fast and iterate, Cardano develops through academic peer review and formal methods. Learn the basics in our crypto basics guides.
Be the reason Cardano ships next.
Cardano isn't in the Zypto App yet. Add your voice and ask your followers to do the same. We prioritize the chains with the most demand, so a public request is the fastest way to move it up the list.
Available in the Zypto App · native asset & tokens
Cardano's native asset is ADA. Native tokens issued on the ledger are held in self-custody, your keys, your coins.
Get ADA in Zypto AppBe the reason Cardano ships next.
Cardano isn't in the Zypto App yet. Post the request to your followers and ask them to add their voice, we prioritize the chains with the most demand. Everything above stays fully live either way.
Accepted as Payment
Once Cardano ships, you would be able to pay bills, top-ups and 24,000+ products with ADA through Zypto Pay. Request it above to help bring it forward.
Swap & convert
Swap support arrives when a chain is integrated. Request Cardano so it moves up the queue, and follow the live ADA price meanwhile.
A research-led chain, plainly told.
What is Cardano in one sentence?
What is the difference between Cardano and ADA?
How does Cardano reach agreement without mining?
Can I stake ADA without locking it?
Is Cardano available in the Zypto App?
Other major networks.
Learn more.
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Hold crypto in self-custody.
Buy and hold supported assets in seconds, send for low fees, swap to any supported asset, and use your crypto for real-world spending, all in one self-custodial app. Request Cardano to help bring ADA on board.
Self-custodial · non-custodial · your keys, your coins.
