EL7.AI
CryptoMedium•23 October 2026•
2 min read

Cardano Opens Dijkstra Test Network After Restart on October 21

Key Facts

1DijkstraNet restarted and became available for participation on October 21, 2026.
2The network started on Protocol 11 and can be synced with node version 11.1.3.
3The node 11.2.0 pre-release is expected before the network is upgraded to Dijkstra Protocol 12.
4The roadmap sets a potential hard-fork window from December 5, 2026, to January 4, 2027, and a higher-confidence window from February 24 to March 26, 2027.

DijkstraNet became available for public participation after restarting on October 21, 2026, and Intersect invited stake pool operators to begin joining ahead of the node 11.2 release. The step marks the start of early testing for the Dijkstra upgrade on a separate network and does not mean an upgrade has been implemented on Cardano’s mainnet. The test environment allows operators to prepare for upcoming changes and check node compatibility before the network moves to the target protocol. The invitation is aimed at network operators, while the next release sequence places the technical transition point after the 11.2 pre-release. The sources do not specify a date for the hard fork on mainnet.

When the network opened, it was running Protocol 11, the current Conway version for a short transitional period. It can be synced using node version 11.1.3, according to the Cardano Operations Book. This means testing began on an existing setup that precedes Dijkstra Protocol 12, rather than on the new protocol itself. After the node 11.2.0 pre-release, the network settings will be updated and it will be made available again, followed by an expected test hard fork that moves it to Protocol 12. The source described this transition as coming shortly after the pre-release, without specifying a calendar date.

Cardano describes the Dijkstra era as a two-phase scaling upgrade. The first phase raises the protocol version to 12, activates Linear Leios to increase transaction-processing capacity, and introduces nested transactions. The second phase adds Peras, according to the era description in Cardano’s glossary. This roadmap places Dijkstra’s features within a broader plan to develop the network, but opening the test network enables feature and integration testing and does not establish that stability or performance testing is complete. The implementation windows in the roadmap remain planning targets, not confirmed dates.

A roadmap summary published by Cardano on September 5 showed a potential hard-fork window running from December 5, 2026, to January 4, 2027. It also listed a higher-confidence window between February 24 and March 26, 2027. Both windows remain planning estimates, while DijkstraNet’s opening does not establish a final date for the mainnet hard fork. ADA holders participate in protocol upgrade decisions through community governance, while stake pool operators vote on hard forks. The network’s move from testing to implementation therefore remains tied to the upgrade and governance process, not merely to the test network’s availability.