Cardano, Accelerated.
Built natively for the eUTXO model, Midgard unlocks instant L2 processing with up to 300x faster speeds and radically lower fees. Every block is secured by surgical fraud proofs on Cardano L1.
Supported Wallets
The Problem
Security shouldn't be the price
you pay for scale.
Cardano is secure and decentralised by design. But as usage grows, fees climb, throughput hits its ceiling, and developers hit walls. Alternative networks that trade security for speed, or extract value via bridge tokens, aren't true Layer 2s. Midgard is an Optimistic Rollup that inherits 100% of Cardano's L1 security, operating up to 300x faster and at a fraction of the cost.
Live Activity
A node, in motion.
Every transaction goes through the same eUTXO rules as Cardano L1, then soft-confirms in milliseconds. No block wait. No L1 fee.
TX
Soft confirmation in seconds. Immediately usable.
BLOCK
Transactions ordered and sealed into a block every ~1s.
COMMIT
Block header posted to Cardano L1. Operator bond locked.
On-chain state queue
Blocks commit. Root confirms.
Operators append blocks to a singly-linked queue. Once a block's fraud-proof window closes it folds into the confirmed state, oldest first, one L1 transaction at a time.
Awaiting next block…
[01 / 05]
STAGE_SUBMIT
[02 / 05]
STAGE_SEQUENCE
[03 / 05]
STAGE_COMMIT
[04 / 05]
STAGE_WATCH
[05 / 05]
STAGE_SETTLE
The Optimistic Lifecycle
Instant execution. On-chain verification.
Midgard is optimistic: L2 transactions are assumed valid for instant soft-finality, while network Watchers verify blocks and submit fraud proofs to Cardano L1 if an operator misbehaves.
- 1
Submit
Midgard L2The Midgard node validates it against eUTXO rules and issues a soft confirmation. No L1 fee. No block wait.
Cardano L1No on-chain interaction at this stage.
- 2
Sequence
Midgard L2The active operator orders transactions and assembles a block using the same eUTXO rules as Cardano L1. Each operator runs a 1-hour on-chain shift.
Cardano L1No on-chain interaction at this stage.
- 3
Commit
Midgard L2Block assembled. Operator signs the block header and broadcasts it to Cardano.
Cardano L1Header stored in the on-chain state queue contract. Operator bond locked against fraud.
- 4
Watch
Midgard L2Block data publicly accessible. Watchers replay each transaction to verify correctness against the L1 header.
Cardano L1Challenge window open on the state queue. A valid fraud proof slashes the operator bond and reverts the block.
- 5
Settle
Midgard L2No fraud detected. Block data persists and soft finality becomes permanent.
Cardano L1Maturity period ends. Block merged into confirmed state. Irreversible. As final as Cardano L1.
eUTXO vs Account Model
Why eUTXO builds a better Optimistic Rollup.
Cardano's eUTXO model makes fraud proofs surgical. Midgard re-executes only the specific inputs of a bad transaction. No global state scan. No complex re-computation.
Midgard · eUTXO
Surgical Fraud Proofs
Deterministic execution means every fraud proof is self-contained: the referenced inputs, the validator script, and the transaction hash. Verification is fast, cheap, and conclusive on L1. No coordination with other contracts required.
- Minimal data footprint
- Cheaper L1 verification
- Lower barrier for Watchers
- Wider pool of Watchers
Account-Model L2s
Global State Bloat
Verification requires scanning global state across multiple contracts. High overhead, complex logic, and computationally expensive to run on L1.
- Large data footprint
- Expensive L1 execution
- Complex hardware for Watchers
- Centralised security risks
For developers, almost nothing changes.
Same eUTXO model. Same script logic. Same tooling. No new languages, no new mental model. Midgard is just Cardano running faster. Switching is one endpoint change.
Endpoint: <your-cardano-node>
validator {
fn spend(
datum: Option<Data>,
redeemer: Data,
ctx: ScriptContext
) -> Bool {
// Standard eUTXO logic — unchanged on L2
True
}
}const tx = await lucid
.newTx()
.payToAddress("addr1...", {
lovelace: 1_000_000n
})
.complete();
const signed = await tx.sign().complete();
const txHash = await signed.submit();Two-Tier Finality
The maturity period IS the security guarantee. It exceeds Cardano's maximum fork depth by design.
Soft Finality
Seconds
Header committed to the L1 state queue. Economically backed by the operator's total bond.
Hard Finality
3–7 Days
Block merged into confirmed state. Irreversible. As final as Cardano L1.
Security note: The delay outlasts any realistic Cardano L1 reorganisation. Once settled, it cannot be reversed.
Security Guarantees
Finality
Confirmed L2 transactions are as final as Cardano L1.
Censorship Resistance
Each deposit, withdrawal, and transaction order carries an L1 inclusion deadline. If an operator misses it, anyone can challenge them on-chain. The guarantee is enforced by protocol, not trust.
Liveness
If all operators stop processing, users can submit transactions directly to the L1 state queue. No operator permission required. Funds can never be permanently stranded.
L1-Anchored Security
Midgard state transitions are validated by Cardano's own smart contracts. To corrupt the L2, you'd need to corrupt Cardano L1 itself. That means breaking Ouroboros.
Who It's For
Three roles. One protocol.
For Developers
Submit Fraud Proofs
Become a Watcher
Catch fraudulent blocks, prove it on L1, and earn 30–50% of the slashed bond. Anyone can run a Watcher. The protocol pays you to keep operators honest.
Institutional Infrastructure
Become an Operator
Sequence and commit blocks in rotating 1-hour shifts. Earn fees from every L2 transaction, deposit, and withdrawal.
Core Technology Stack
Built in partnership
Built by the team behind Cardano's core protocol and the engineers behind its most battle-tested smart contracts, Anastasia Labs and IOG are partnering to bring Optimistic Rollups to Cardano.
Partners
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