Cardano has structured its development roadmap for the Dijkstra-era scaling work around a two-phase rollout, placing Ouroboros Leios and related throughput improvements at the center of the plan.
The first phase of the roadmap focuses on Linear Leios and nested transactions, with code completion targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026. The second phase, which involves Ouroboros Peras, is planned for the second quarter of 2027.
Leios and Nested Transactions
Ouroboros Leios is designed to enhance Cardano's throughput by altering how transaction and block processing scale. The objective is to enable the network to handle increased activity while maintaining the consensus design assumptions of the blockchain.
In addition to Linear Leios, the first phase includes nested transactions. These aim to provide developers with greater flexibility regarding how transactions are structured and processed, which is particularly relevant for complex decentralized finance, identity, payment, and multi-step applications.
Peras and Finality Dynamics
The second phase of the roadmap introduces Ouroboros Peras, which is connected to improving settlement and finality dynamics. Enhanced finality and settlement can impact both user experience and application design, particularly for financial use cases.
While the roadmap outlines a structured timeline extending into 2027, the rollout represents a technical path and development targets rather than an immediate deployment or a guarantee of adoption milestones. Code completion, testing, review, and implementation remain necessary before network users experience any practical effects.
