- Cardano opened its public Dijkstra testnet, letting stake pool operators begin preparing for the Node 11.2 protocol upgrade.
- ADA traded near $0.216 on Friday, up 0.99% over 24 hours, while the broader crypto market was valued at $2.73 trillion.
- Technical indicators on ADA’s chart were mixed, with key levels at $0.21 support, $0.22 resistance, and $0.23 as a possible breakout threshold.
Cardano’s price held above $0.21 on Friday as the network advanced its Dijkstra testnet and Node 11.2 software, the next step in its protocol upgrade path. The move came as the wider cryptocurrency market climbed, with Bitcoin pressing toward $82,000. The development activity and the price action are being watched together, though they remain separate matters.
What Happened
Cardano has opened its public Dijkstra testnet, which invites stake pool operators, often called SPOs, to start onboarding ahead of the next protocol version. The testnet currently runs node 11.1.3 under protocol version 11, known as Conway. Epochs on the network last one day. Configuration files and a faucet are accessible through Cardano’s documentation.
According to a post from the Intersect organization on October 23, 2026, the planned sequence includes several stages. These are the Conway-era protocol version 11 running on node 11.1.3, a Node 11.2 pre-release, a hard fork initiation action, and then the hard fork to protocol version 12, Dijkstra, using node 11.2. After that comes integration and testing against the Dijkstra feature set, excluding Leios.
Node 11.2 is the software release meant to support the transition to protocol version 12. Its prerelease will come before the hard fork initiation action, and the testnet upgrade will follow. Operators will then be able to test Dijkstra features and check how their integrations behave.
Separately, a prototype called MusashiNet offers an environment that includes Leios, giving developers another platform for early integration work. The formal node 11.3 release, however, is still under active development.
Input Output estimates that Leios will require registered voting keys representing approximately 90 to 95 percent of delegated stake before it can be activated. Intersect has not announced a mainnet launch date for Leios or a required percentage of node upgrade participation.
On the price side, ADA traded near $0.2156 on October 23. The four-hour candle at that point showed a decline of 0.37%. The asset had failed to break below $0.21 support and remained under $0.22 resistance, where it had bounced in recent days.
Why It Matters
For investors, the testnet phase offers a clearer view of Cardano’s upgrade timeline. Each stage of the sequence, from the Node 11.2 prerelease to the hard fork initiation and the eventual protocol version 12 transition, marks a point where the network’s readiness can be assessed. Stake pool participation during testing is one measurable signal of how prepared the ecosystem is.
The absence of a confirmed Leios mainnet date and the lack of a published participation threshold for node upgrades leave important questions open. Market participants weighing Cardano’s development progress will need to track whether Intersect provides these details in future communications. Until then, the scope and timing of Leios remain uncertain.
For the broader crypto market, Cardano’s movement fits a pattern in which major assets rise together. Bitcoin approached immediate resistance near $82,000, Ethereum traded at $2,410, and the total market valuation reached $2.73 trillion. XRP held near recently confirmed support at $1.30. When leading assets advance together, altcoins often move in a correlated way, although individual project developments can still produce divergent results.
Market Context
Cardano’s upgrades follow a staged governance and software process. Protocol version 11, associated with the Conway era, is the current baseline on the testnet. Moving to protocol version 12, Dijkstra, requires a hard fork, which is a change that network participants must adopt. The testnet phase exists so that operators and developers can identify integration issues before the change reaches the main network.
Leios is a separate development track that carries its own testing and activation requirements. Its estimated voting key threshold of roughly 90 to 95 percent of delegated stake suggests that activation would depend on broad coordination among stake holders. The existence of an independent prototype through MusashiNet indicates that development is happening on more than one front.
On the chart, the technical picture for ADA is mixed. The Relative Strength Index was at 42, which is generally considered neutral territory. The MACD line sat at about -0.0019 while the signal line was at about -0.0017, and the histogram still reflected bearish momentum. The shrinking histogram bars, however, suggested that selling pressure might be easing, though that is an observation rather than a confirmed reversal.
What to Watch Next
Readers should follow several items in the coming period. The first is the release of Node 11.2 and its prerelease, since that software underpins the protocol version 12 transition. The second is the hard fork initiation action, which marks a formal step in the upgrade sequence. The third is the outcome of testing against the Dijkstra feature set on the public testnet.
On the price side, the $0.21 level is a key reference. A four-hour close below that mark would strengthen the bearish case, and attention would likely shift to the $0.20 psychological level. Conversely, buyers would need to reclaim $0.22 and hold it through any second pullback. A sustained move above $0.23 could open a path toward $0.25, roughly 16 percent above the $0.2156 level noted on October 23.
Finally, watch for any announcement from Intersect regarding a Leios mainnet timeline or required node participation percentage. Those details would materially shape how the upgrade roadmap is understood. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
Source: original report