# Cardano Developer Portal

> Documentation for building on Cardano: getting started, core concepts, governance, stake pool operations, and community contribution.

This file contains links to documentation sections following the llmstxt.org standard.

## Table of Contents

- [Cardano for Ethereum Developers](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/cardano-for-ethereum-developers.md): A complete guide to Cardano development for developers coming from Ethereum.
- [Masumi Network](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/ai-agents/masumi.md): Masumi is a Cardano protocol giving AI agents decentralized identity, escrowed payments, and a discovery registry, framework-agnostic.
- [Connect an AI assistant with MCP](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/ai-agents/mcp.md): Give a general AI assistant live access to Cardano through an MCP server: it reads chain and wallet state and drafts transactions you review and sign.
- [AI agents on Cardano](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/ai-agents/overview.md): Autonomous AI agents that hold a wallet, transact, and prove their identity on Cardano, with Masumi as the agent-economy protocol.
- [Connect a Wallet](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/connect-a-wallet.md): Connect a browser wallet to your dApp with CIP-30: request addresses, UTXOs, and signatures while keys stay on the user's device, with Evolution an...
- [DeFi on Cardano](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/defi.md): The core DeFi primitives, DEXes, AMMs, liquidity pools, impermanent loss, and how Cardano's eUTXO model changes how you build them, with order batc...
- [Gathering Data](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/cardano-ticker/01-gathering-data.md): APIs and endpoints used by the Cardano Ticker - Koios for stake balance, MinSwap for token prices, Cexplorer for NFT floors, plus production altern...
- [Building the Ticker](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/cardano-ticker/02-building-the-ticker.md): Walk through a multi-file Arduino project - WiFi manager, data fetcher, four data screens (wallet, tokens, NFTs, status), and a scrolling ticker.
- [Workshop 04: Cardano Ticker](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/cardano-ticker.md): Build a multi-screen Cardano ticker on a TFT display showing wallet balance, token prices from MinSwap, and NFT floors from Cexplorer.
- [AHT10 Temperature & Humidity Sensor (I2C)](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/hardware/aht10-temperature-humidity-sensor-i2c.md): High-precision digital temperature and humidity sensor from Aosong with I2C interface - used in Workshop 03 to read environmental data and put it o...
- [Cheap Yellow Display (CYD)](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/hardware/cheap-yellow-display-cyd.md): ESP32-based development board with an integrated 2.8" TFT touchscreen - used across Workshops 02, 04, and 05.
- [ESP32-C3](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/hardware/esp32-c3.md): RISC-V ESP32-C3 microcontroller with WiFi + Bluetooth 5 (LE) - the default board across all five workshops.
- [1.3" OLED Display (SH1106, I2C)](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/hardware/oled-display-sh1106-13inch-i2c.md): Compact 1.3" monochrome OLED display with the SH1106 controller and I2C interface - used in Workshop 03 as an alternative to the CYD's TFT.
- [Hardware Reference](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/hardware.md): The hardware the IoT-on-Cardano workshops use, what to search for to source each part, and a reference page per component with specs, pinouts, and ...
- [Relay Module (3V, 1 Channel)](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/hardware/relay-module-3v-1channel.md): Single-channel 3V relay module with optoisolation - switches AC/DC loads from a 3.3V microcontroller. Used in Workshop 02 "Light up the Tree".
- [WS2812B LED Ring (12 LEDs)](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/hardware/ws2812b-led-ring-12.md): Circular RGB LED ring using 12 WS2812B addressable LEDs - used to build the Epoch Clock in Workshop 02.
- [Connect and Read Sensor Data](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/input-and-write/01-connect-and-read-sensor-data.md): Wire an AHT10 over I2C, read temperature and humidity, and optionally render them on a 1.3" SH1106 OLED.
- [Build your own API to put data on-chain](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/input-and-write/02-build-your-own-api.md): Build a Node.js + Express API that uses Mesh SDK and the Koios provider to fetch wallet balance and submit transactions with sensor data as metadata.
- [Mint Sensor Data on-chain](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/input-and-write/03-mint-sensor-data-on-chain.md): Mint each sensor reading as an NFT using the CIP-25 metadata standard. Includes burning.
- [Workshop 03: Input and Write](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/input-and-write.md): Read an AHT10 sensor on the ESP32, build a Node.js + Mesh SDK API, and put sensor data on-chain as transaction metadata and as NFTs.
- [Arduino](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/introductions/arduino.md): Open-source electronics platform - hardware (microcontroller boards) and software (Arduino IDE) for building interactive projects.
- [ESP32 / D1 Microcontrollers](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/introductions/esp32-d1-microcontrollers.md): Low-cost, low-power Wi-Fi and Bluetooth microcontrollers from Espressif - the boards used across this section.
- [Introductions](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/introductions.md): Quick primers on the non-Cardano building blocks used in this section - Arduino, ESP32 / D1 microcontrollers, and REST APIs.
- [REST APIs](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/introductions/rest-apis.md): An architectural style for designing networked applications - the foundation for how the workshops talk to Koios, Blockfrost, Maestro, and other Ca...
- [Internet of Things (IoT) on Cardano](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot.md): Build microcontroller projects that read from and write to the Cardano blockchain. A five-workshop course from wallet setup to a working QR-code pa...
- [Getting Started](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/qr-code-payments/01-getting-started.md): Set up a basic webserver on the ESP32, understand the project structure, upload files to LittleFS, and test it.
- [CIP-13 Integration](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/qr-code-payments/02-cip13-integration.md): What CIPs are, the web+cardano URI scheme, and how amounts and addresses encode into a Cardano payment URI.
- [QR-Code Creation](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/qr-code-payments/03-qr-code-creation.md): Render a QR code on the TFT using the QRcodeDisplay + QRcode_eSPI libraries.
- [Building the Frontend](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/qr-code-payments/04-building-the-frontend.md): Build the HTML/CSS/JS payment-request UI served from LittleFS by the microcontroller.
- [Building the Backend](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/qr-code-payments/05-building-the-backend.md): Webserver routes, a JSON store of payment requests, and the on-chain transaction listener that matches by exact lovelace amount.
- [Workshop 05: QR-Code Payments](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/qr-code-payments.md): Build a CIP-13 QR-code payment terminal on the ESP32 - a webserver hosts the UI, the TFT shows the QR, and Koios confirms the payment on-chain.
- [Fetch your Wallet Balance](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/read-and-output/01-fetch-wallet-balance.md): Poll your stake address balance via Koios (and Blockfrost), parse the JSON, detect changes, and explore alternative APIs.
- [Display Data on your Microcontroller](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/read-and-output/02-display-data.md): Configure the TFT_eSPI library for the Cheap Yellow Display and render the wallet balance on a 320x240 TFT.
- [Light up the Tree](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/read-and-output/03-light-up-the-tree.md): Drive a 110V/220V relay from on-chain events. Switch a real light bulb on when funds arrive at your wallet.
- [Epoch Clock](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/read-and-output/04-epoch-clock.md): Build a physical Epoch Clock on a 12-LED WS2812 ring. The ring lights up progressively as the epoch advances.
- [Workshop 02: Read and Output](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/read-and-output.md): Fetch on-chain data on a schedule and use it to drive a TFT display, an external relay, and an LED ring that visualises epoch progress.
- [Cardano Setup](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/the-basics/01-cardano-setup.md): Install Yoroi, switch to the Preprod testnet, create a wallet, and request tADA from the faucet.
- [Arduino Setup](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/the-basics/02-arduino-setup.md): Install the Arduino IDE, add ESP32 board support, install the CH340 driver if needed, and upload your first blink and WiFi sketches.
- [API Setup & First Call](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/the-basics/03-api-setup.md): Use the Koios /tip endpoint to fetch the current epoch number from your microcontroller and log it to the serial monitor.
- [Workshop 01: The Basics](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/the-basics.md): Set up a Preprod Cardano wallet, install the Arduino IDE, prepare your microcontroller, and make your first API call to Koios.
- [Troubleshooting](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/iot/troubleshooting.md): Common issues hit while running the IoT-on-Cardano workshops - WiFi, upload failures, I2C, board detection, serial monitor.
- [Listening for ada payments](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/listen-for-payments.md): Detect and confirm ada payments in your application, using Blockfrost, cardano-cli, or cardano-wallet.
- [Oracles on Cardano](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/oracles/overview.md): How oracles bring real-world data to Cardano smart contracts: the oracle problem, publication models, security, and choosing a feed.
- [A Price-Settled Prediction Market](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/oracles/prediction-market.md): A complete oracle-consuming dApp walked end to end: one validator with three identities, the bet, resolve and claim paths, the mint policy, and the...
- [Integrate a Price Feed: Pyth](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/oracles/pyth.md): Feed real-time market prices into a Cardano validator with the pull-based oracle workflow, implemented with Pyth Pro.
- [On-chain Randomness](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/oracles/randomness.md): Cardano validators cannot generate random numbers, so verifiable randomness is something you construct. The patterns that work, commit-reveal and o...
- [Build a dApp](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/overview.md): Connect Cardano to your application (wallets, payments, oracles, and AI agents) and build DeFi protocols on the eUTXO model.
- [Sponsored and multi-party transactions](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/sponsored-transactions.md): Separate who builds, who signs, and who pays for a transaction: co-sign across a server and a browser wallet with CIP-30 partial signing, and spons...
- [Authenticating users with their Cardano wallet](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/wallet-authentication.md): Authenticate users on the web with their Cardano wallet through message signing, with Mesh or Evolution, a hosted service, or zero-knowledge login.
- [Build your first dApp](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/dapps/your-first-dapp.md): Assemble a working Cardano dApp end to end: scaffold, connect a wallet, read the balance, and send ADA, with runnable Evolution and Mesh templates.
- [Cardano Architecture](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/fundamentals/cardano-components.md): The four layers that make up Cardano (ledger, consensus, networking, scripting), the reference node that implements them, and the eras the chain ha...
- [Consensus & Ouroboros](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/fundamentals/consensus-and-ouroboros.md): How distributed networks agree on a single truth, from Proof of Work to Cardano's Ouroboros Proof of Stake protocol.
- [Addresses](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/fundamentals/core-concepts/addresses.md): Cardano address structure, address types, and how payment and delegation credentials work.
- [The Extended UTXO Model](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/fundamentals/core-concepts/eutxo.md): How Cardano tracks ownership with the Extended UTXO (eUTXO) model, how it differs from account-based chains, and how to think in eUTXO as a developer.
- [Transaction Fees](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/fundamentals/core-concepts/fees.md): Cardano's deterministic fee formula, script execution and reference script costs, and collateral.
- [Core Concepts](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/fundamentals/core-concepts/overview.md): The technical foundations of Cardano value, the eUTXO model, addresses, keys and wallets, transactions, and fees.
- [Transactions](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/fundamentals/core-concepts/transactions.md): The anatomy of a Cardano transaction, its lifecycle, validity intervals, reference inputs, and CBOR serialization.
- [Keys & Wallets](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/fundamentals/core-concepts/wallets-and-keys.md): The identity layer of Cardano, from Ed25519 key pairs and BIP-39 seed phrases to HD derivation, wallet types, and CIP-30.
- [Cryptographic Primitives](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/fundamentals/cryptographic-primitives.md): The mathematical building blocks of blockchain security, from hash functions and Merkle trees to digital signatures.
- [Cardano Fundamentals](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/fundamentals/overview.md): The conceptual bedrock for building on Cardano, blockchains, cryptography, consensus, and how Cardano differs from Ethereum.
- [What Is a Blockchain?](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/fundamentals/what-is-a-blockchain.md): The fundamental architecture of blockchain technology, from distributed ledgers to the trust problem blockchains solve.
- [Authenticated Products](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/native-tokens/authenticated-products.md): Pair a physical product with an on-chain NFT so anyone can verify it is genuine, using the Cardano Store POC Hoodie as a worked example.
- [Token Metadata & Registry](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/native-tokens/metadata-registry.md): Cardano token metadata standards, CIP-25 and CIP-68 for NFTs, CIP-26 off-chain registry, and CIP-27 royalties.
- [Mint a Fungible Token](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/native-tokens/mint-fungible.md): Mint and burn a fungible native token on Cardano with Evolution, Mesh, or cardano-cli.
- [Mint an NFT](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/native-tokens/mint-nft.md): Mint a one-of-one NFT on Cardano with CIP-25 metadata, using Evolution, Mesh, or cardano-cli.
- [Minting Policies](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/native-tokens/minting-policies.md): How minting policies control who can create and burn native tokens, from simple signature scripts to programmable smart contract policies.
- [What Are Native Tokens](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/native-tokens/overview.md): How Cardano's multi-asset ledger handles native tokens and NFTs as first-class citizens alongside ADA.
- [Programmable Tokens](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/native-tokens/programmable-tokens.md): Native tokens that run validation logic on every transfer, mint, and burn, enabling compliance rules like freeze, seize, and KYC-gating without a h...
- [Token Metadata Server](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/native-tokens/token-registry/metadata-server.md): Query human-readable metadata for Cardano native assets over the Token Metadata Server REST API (v2), covering both CIP-26 and CIP-68.
- [Register an entry](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/native-tokens/token-registry/register-an-entry.md): Prepare, submit, update, and remove a Cardano Token Registry (CIP-26) metadata entry with token-metadata-creator.
- [Connecting to the Chain](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/production/connecting-to-the-chain.md): Every Cardano app reads chain state and submits transactions. The categories of infrastructure that serve those two workflows, what is comparable t...
- [Going to Production](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/production/going-to-production.md): A checklist for taking a Cardano dApp from working on testnet to running on mainnet: testing, security, reliable transactions, optimization, and in...
- [Hydra: Layer 2 Scaling](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/production/hydra.md): Hydra is Cardano's Layer 2, a state channel where a known set of participants transact instantly with zero fees, settling back to Layer 1 only to o...
- [Custom Indexing and Chain Analytics](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/production/indexing-and-analytics.md): Index exactly the slice of chain data your application needs, with the rollback and cursor discipline that comes with it, and analyze full Cardano ...
- [The Network Protocol Beneath the APIs](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/production/network-protocol.md): Every provider, indexer, and SDK ultimately sits on the same Ouroboros wire protocol. How node-to-node and node-to-client interfaces work, how mini...
- [Ship to Production](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/production/overview.md): Take a dApp from testnet to mainnet and scale it: the production checklist, chain-access infrastructure from hosted APIs to your own node, custom i...
- [Self-Hosting](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/production/self-hosting.md): Serve your application the chain from infrastructure you run: a Dolos data node, a node with Ogmios and Kupo, or a full node, with Demeter as the m...
- [Transaction Chaining](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/production/transaction-chaining.md): Spend a transaction's outputs before it is confirmed. Because validation is deterministic, the next transaction's inputs are known in advance, whic...
- [Use a Provider](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/production/use-a-provider.md): Set up a hosted Cardano query API with one skeleton for Blockfrost, Koios, and Maestro: create access, find your network's endpoint, make a first r...
- [BLS Signatures, VRFs, and Anonymous Credentials](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/advanced/bls-primitives.md): The BLS12-381 builtins beyond proof verification: aggregated BLS signatures, on-chain key derivation, verifiable random functions, and BBS+ selecti...
- [Debugging CBOR](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/advanced/debug-cbor.md): Read and debug the low-level CBOR encoding of Cardano transactions to troubleshoot Plutus scripts and validation failures.
- [Linked List](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/advanced/design-patterns/linked-list.md): On-chain linked list for storing arbitrarily large collections across UTxOs
- [Merkelized Validator](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/advanced/design-patterns/merkelized-validator.md): Delegate logic to external withdrawal scripts to stay within size limits
- [Merkle Tree](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/advanced/design-patterns/merkle-tree.md): An on-chain Merkle tree for Cardano. Build the tree off-chain and verify membership on-chain from a root hash and a log-sized proof.
- [Design Patterns](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/advanced/design-patterns/overview.md): Common design patterns for Cardano smart contracts with Aiken implementations
- [On-Chain Parameter Validation](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/advanced/design-patterns/parameter-validation.md): Check that a script hash is an instantiation of an unparameterised script.
- [Stake Validator Pattern](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/advanced/design-patterns/stake-validator.md): Delegate computations to staking scripts using the "withdraw zero trick" for optimized validation
- [Trie](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/advanced/design-patterns/trie.md): An on-chain trie (prefix tree) distributed across many UTXOs, for scalable key-value state on Cardano.
- [Transaction-Level Minting](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/advanced/design-patterns/tx-level-minter.md): Transaction level validation using minting policies for efficient batch processing of smart contract UTxOs
- [UTxO Indexers](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/advanced/design-patterns/utxo-indexers.md): Efficient input-output mapping with O(1) lookups using redeemer indexing
- [Validity Range Normalization](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/advanced/design-patterns/validity-range-normalization.md): Normalize a transaction's validity range to one canonical form so a validator handles every equivalent representation safely.
- [Smart Contract Optimization](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/advanced/optimization.md): Optimization techniques and benchmarking workflow for Aiken smart contracts.
- [Advanced Smart Contracts](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/advanced/overview.md): The advanced shelf for Cardano validators: design patterns, compilation and debugging, optimization, and the cryptographic primitives Plutus exposes.
- [Untyped Plutus Core](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/advanced/uplc.md): Assembly language of Cardano smart contract platform
- [Zero-Knowledge Proofs](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/advanced/zero-knowledge.md): Zero-knowledge proofs on Cardano, verifying succinct proofs on-chain with the BLS12-381 Plutus builtins.
- [Choose a Smart Contract Language](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/choose-a-language.md): Pick a language for writing Cardano validators. Every language compiles to the same on-chain bytecode (UPLC), so the choice is about ergonomics rat...
- [Datum, Redeemer, and ScriptContext](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/datum-redeemer-context.md): The three arguments every Cardano validator receives: datum as state, redeemer as action, and ScriptContext as the transaction environment.
- [Lock and Spend](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/lock-and-spend.md): The two halves of every smart contract interaction: lock funds at a script address with a datum, then spend them by providing a redeemer that satis...
- [Smart Contracts](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/overview.md): How smart contracts work on Cardano, validators that approve or reject transactions on the eUTXO model.
- [Cardano Capture The Flag (CTF)](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/security/ctf.md): Learn smart contract security through hands-on vulnerability exploitation in the Cardano CTF game.
- [Double Satisfaction](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/security/vulnerabilities/double-satisfaction.md): The double-satisfaction vulnerability: when several validators in one transaction are each satisfied by the same output, so one payment covers many...
- [Evaluation and Grinding](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/security/vulnerabilities/evaluation-and-grinding.md): Two advanced classes where the attacker controls something the validator assumed was fixed: which checks actually run, and how a hash comes out.
- [Missing UTxO Authentication](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/security/vulnerabilities/missing-utxo-authentication.md): A vulnerability where an attacker can create a script UTxO in an invalid state and use it for attacks. This vulnerability is common in multi-step c...
- [Vulnerability reference](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/security/vulnerabilities/overview.md): A reference of Cardano smart contract vulnerabilities, organized into four deep dives and four classes, each entry with its identifier, property st...
- [Resource Exhaustion](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/security/vulnerabilities/resource-exhaustion.md): Five ways a protocol can be made unusable by growth or contention: unbounded value, datum, and inputs, plus cheap spam and UTXO contention.
- [Staking and Certificate Control](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/security/vulnerabilities/staking-and-certificates.md): Two vulnerabilities in the staking half of a script credential: unguarded staking rights on script addresses, and unconstrained certificate operati...
- [Time Handling](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/security/vulnerabilities/time-handling.md): Time in Cardano transactions: deterministic validation, validity intervals, and the attacks that follow from picking the wrong interval bound.
- [Token Security](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/security/vulnerabilities/token-security.md): What native tokens look like to a validator, and the security pitfalls of handling, validating, and minting them.
- [Unchecked Inputs](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/security/vulnerabilities/unchecked-inputs.md): Five vulnerabilities from trusting data a validator never verified: arbitrary datums, other redeemers, other token names, inputs missed by a global...
- [Smart Contract Security](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/security.md): How Cardano's eUTXO model neutralizes whole classes of attacks, the vulnerabilities you still have to guard against, and the patterns that keep val...
- [Testing Validators](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/testing.md): Test Aiken validators with mock transactions, the mocktail library, and the boolean-toggle pattern for systematically covering failure cases.
- [Write a Validator](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/smart-contracts/write-a-validator.md): Author the on-chain code: Aiken validator types (minting, spending, withdrawing, certificates), what a validator sees in the transaction, native sc...
- [Delegate and Withdraw](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/staking-governance/delegate-and-withdraw.md): Register a stake credential, delegate it to a pool, and withdraw the rewards it earns, from an application with Evolution, Mesh, and cardano-cli.
- [DReps & Vote Delegation](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/staking-governance/drep-and-delegation.md): Register as a DRep with a key- or script-based credential and delegate voting power, from an application with Evolution, Mesh, and cardano-cli.
- [Governance Operations](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/staking-governance/governance-operations.md): The governance appendix: Constitutional Committee credential management, querying governance state, the CIP-95 wallet API, and governance script pu...
- [Governance](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/staking-governance/governance.md): What CIP-1694 on-chain governance means for developers: the three governance bodies, the seven action types, and the ratification lifecycle your to...
- [Manage Stake](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/staking-governance/manage-stake.md): Query delegation and rewards for a UI, deregister a stake credential and reclaim the deposit, and combine stake and vote delegation in one transact...
- [Staking & Governance](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/staking-governance/overview.md): The developer's module for staking and governance: concept pages for each system, then practice pages that register, delegate, withdraw, vote, and ...
- [Staking](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/staking-governance/staking.md): Cardano's non-custodial delegation model: why ADA never leaves the wallet, how rewards and timing work, and the lifecycle every staking integration...
- [Vote & Propose](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/staking-governance/vote-and-propose.md): Cast Yes / No / Abstain votes on governance actions and submit proposals of each of the seven action types, with Evolution, Mesh, and cardano-cli.
- [Set up your AI assistant](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/start-building/ai-assisted-development.md): Use AI coding assistants to build on Cardano with current, authoritative context instead of stale training data.
- [Choose Your Tools](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/start-building/choose-your-tools.md): Pick an SDK for your language, get a provider key, and give your AI assistant current Cardano context before you write any code.
- [Local Testing](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/start-building/local-testing.md): Speed up your feedback loop: simulate the ledger in memory with an emulator, or run a private devnet on your own machine.
- [Choose a Network](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/start-building/networks-and-test-ada.md): Pick the network your code runs against, from a public testnet to a private local devnet, and get free test ADA to use it.
- [Start Building](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/start-building/overview.md): Set up a Cardano dev environment, pick your tools, and send your first transaction on testnet.
- [Query the Chain](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/start-building/query-the-chain.md): Read Cardano on-chain data (UTXOs, balances, datums, protocol parameters, delegation, and transaction status) through a provider, with Evolution an...
- [Transaction Building](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/start-building/transaction-building.md): Go beyond a simple payment: multiple outputs, coin selection, batching and airdrops, transaction chaining, resilient submission, and redeemer index...
- [When transactions fail](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/start-building/transaction-failures.md): Why Cardano transactions fail, the two-phase validation model, build-time versus submit-time errors, and which failures are retryable.
- [Your First Transaction](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/start-building/your-first-transaction.md): Build, sign, and submit your first Cardano transaction on testnet with Evolution, Mesh, or cardano-cli, then read it back from the chain.
- [Exchange Integrations](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/exchange-integrations.md): Guide for integrating Cardano with exchanges.
- [Start building on Cardano](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers.md): Scaffold a running dApp, send your first transaction, set up your AI coding agent, or learn how Cardano works.
- [Cardano Key Pairs](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/basics/cardano-key-pairs.md): The ed25519 key pairs behind Cardano (.vkey and .skey files), what each is for, and best practices for keeping private keys safe.
- [Consensus & Staking](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/basics/consensus-staking.md): Learn about consensus and staking on Cardano including the Ouroboros protocol, stake pools, and block production.
- [Minimum hardware requirements to run a stake pool](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/basics/hardware-requirements.md): Minimum hardware requirements to run a stake pool
- [Understanding the Relay and Block Producer topology](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/basics/stake-pool-networking.md): Understanding the Relay and Block Producer topology
- [Key Generation](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/block-producer/block-producer-keys.md): Generating the cold, KES, and VRF keys for a Cardano block producer on an air-gapped machine.
- [Block Producer Deployment](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/block-producer/deployment.md): Issue the operational certificate and securely transfer credentials from your air-gapped machine to the block producer.
- [Generating Wallet Keys](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/block-producer/generating-wallet-keys.md): Generate the payment and stake keys needed to register a Cardano stake pool.
- [KES Agent](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/block-producer/kes-agent.md): Run the KES agent to keep your KES signing key out of persistent storage and achieve forward secrecy on your block producer.
- [Mithril Signer Configuration](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/block-producer/mithril-signer-configuration.md): Configure a Mithril signer on your block producer to sign certified snapshots of the Cardano blockchain state.
- [Registering a Stake Address](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/block-producer/register-stake-address.md): Register your stake address on-chain before registering a stake pool.
- [Registering a Pool](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/block-producer/register-stake-pool.md): Generate your pool registration certificate and submit it to the chain.
- [Audit your node](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/deployment-scenarios/audit-your-node.md): Stake pool guide: Audit your node configuration with a script
- [Hardening the server](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/deployment-scenarios/hardening-server.md): Secure a Cardano stake pool server — SSH, nftables, WireGuard, fail2ban, and systemd hardening.
- [Improve Grafana Security](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/deployment-scenarios/improve-grafana-security.md): Secure Grafana access with an SSH tunnel, Nginx reverse proxy, and optional Google OAuth.
- [On-Chain Polls](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/governance/on-chain-polls.md): How stake pool operators voted via on-chain polls (CIP-0094), a legacy mechanism now superseded by Conway-era governance.
- [SPO Governance](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/governance/spo-governance.md): How stake pool operators participate in Cardano's on-chain governance under CIP-1694.
- [Monitoring with openBlockPerf](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/monitoring/monitoring-openblockperf.md): The Cardano openBlockPerf global network monitoring concept explained
- [Monitoring Overview](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/monitoring/monitoring-overview.md): Monitoring approaches for Cardano stake pool operators — what to watch, real-time CLI tools, and a full observability stack.
- [Monitoring with Prometheus and Grafana](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/monitoring/monitoring-prometheus-grafana.md): Set up cardano-tracer, Prometheus, and Grafana to monitor Cardano nodes with the new tracing system.
- [Cardano Tracer](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/monitoring/new-tracing-system/cardano-tracer.md): cardano-tracer is the logging and monitoring service that collects and handles telemetry from one or more Cardano nodes.
- [Metrics migration guide](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/monitoring/new-tracing-system/metrics-migration.md): Migrate metric names from Cardano node's legacy logging to the new tracing system, covering renamed, removed, and added metrics.
- [Quick start](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/monitoring/new-tracing-system/new-tracing-system.md): How to configure and use the new tracing system
- [Installing cardano-node](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/node/installing-cardano-node.md): How to get cardano-node and cardano-cli — pre-built binaries, Docker images, Nix builds, and cabal builds.
- [How to run cardano-node](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/node/running-cardano.md): This guide will explain and show you how to run the cardano-node and components on your system.
- [Topology](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/node/topology.md): Overview and configuration of cardano-node topology and peer discovery.
- [Calidus Pool Keys](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/operator-tools/calidus-keys.md): Hot key pairs that allow SPOs to authenticate with governance tools, explorers, and dApps without exposing their cold key.
- [Get Started with Guild Operators Tools](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/operator-tools/guild-ops-suite.md): Get started with the Guild Operators suite (CNTools, gLiveView, and more) for setting up, managing, and monitoring a stake pool.
- [Mithril: Fast Bootstrap & Light Clients](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/operator-tools/mithril.md): Mithril is a stake-based multi-signature protocol that certifies Cardano data, enabling fast node bootstrap and trustless light clients that verify...
- [Operate a Stake Pool](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators.md): Everything you need to set up and run a Cardano stake pool.
- [Relay Node Configuration](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/relay-configuration/relay-node-configuration.md): How to configure a Cardano relay node for stake pool operation.
- [Air Gap Environment](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/security/air-gap.md): Secure your private keys on a network-free machine — Nix bootable ISO or manual Ubuntu setup.
- [Secure Transaction Workflow](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/operators/security/secure-workflow.md): Sign transactions and cold-key operations on an air-gapped machine — keeping private keys off the internet.
- [Get Started in the Cardano Developer Community](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/community/cardano-developer-community.md): Get Started in the Cardano Developer Community.
- [Funding and grants](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/community/funding.md): Ways to fund your project on Cardano, from community grants to the on-chain treasury and open-source maintenance.
- [How to contribute to the developer portal](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/contribute/portal-contribute.md): How to contribute to the Cardano developer portal.
- [Style Guide](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/contribute/portal-style-guide.md): Style guide for the Cardano developer portal.
- [Documentation](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/index.md): Find your way around the Cardano Developer Portal. The developer curriculum, the stake pool operator handbook, community resources, and contributio...