• Cardano introduces Hydra for Payments, improving blockchain’s scalability 
• A demo version of Hydra for Payments will be open to a selected set of people and testers will enjoy faster and cheaper transactions.

Cardano introduces Hydra, a payment developer tool on its blockchain. The team has implemented the tool to help solve scalability issues on the blockchain. ADA blockchain is expected to carry out over 1,000,000 transactions without any significant increase in fees and processing time. The processing power of the main chain (layer 1) will be improved.

In addition to that, Cardano will make an additional upgrade to the processing time of the off-main blockchain (layer 2). The two upgrades will foster network performance, higher throughput, and low transaction processing costs. Hydra will serve as a platform where users can access micropayment on the Cardano ecosystem.

Cardano Introduces Hydra for payments

It will serve as a light wallet for developers to continuously build products that can benefit users. Hydra will reduce operating costs and increase the throughput of the Cardano network. Cardano will accommodate various sets of wallet providers, ensuring that onboarding developers experience a familiar setup. In the future, Hydra will integrate a basic back-office interface that would provide access for light wallet providers. These providers are required to maintain their own Hydra Head service, inspect their node infrastructure, and scale operations. They can also offer such a service to other providers.

Hydra will possess amazing payment features, which would be highly beneficial in the Cardano space. The platform will be open-source and easily accessible. As earlier stated, the payment interface will be familiar to developers without any required technique. Hydra will be extremely fast and straightforward to use. It also has a re-designed isomorphic design. 

Currently, Hydra for Payments toolkit is under development, of which two perspectives will co-exist. The technical fundamentals will maintain the trust, security, and correctness of the Hydra Head protocol. In parallel to this, there will be a feature that would improve light wallet developers’ operating costs, ability to monitor their infrastructure, and enhance their users’ experience.

When will Cardano’s new payments tool be? 

There is no announcement regarding the release of Hydra for Payments on the Cardano blockchain. Cardano promised to add specialized features that would cater to specific micropayment use cases before the platform’s launch. According to Cardano, Hydra for Payment will roll out gradually. The payment interface is undergoing important enhancement in Q4 2022, thereby hindering the immediate implementation of the platform. A selected group of people will gain access to the demo version of Hydra for Payments. These early testers will use the Head protocol to transfer assets at unmatched speed and cost. 

Cardano hopes to implement more enhancements to the protocols in 2023. The team might switch to its initial implementation using a Star-Shaped Head Network topology if validation of new features persists. Cardano is open to feedback, discussion, and contributions from the community regarding the Hydra toolkit.