Certification of Cardano node database v2​

With the release of the new distribution 2513, we have started to roll out the certification of the Cardano node database v2 in the Mithril networks.

Initially, Mithril certified entire database snapshots, requiring clients to download and verify the full database to bootstrap a Cardano node. The Mithril network now provides incremental certification of the Cardano node database, allowing clients to download only the specific range of immutable files needed, accelerating the process of bootstrapping a Cardano node. The key features include:

• Certification of the Cardano node database v2 every time a new immutable file is produced
• New HTTP routes in the aggregator REST API to access this certified data
• Updates to the Mithril client library and CLI for retrieving and verifying Cardano node database v2 (will be made stable one distribution after the activation in release-mainet)
• Mithril Explorer now displays certified Cardano node database v2.

The roll-out plan of the feature is the following:

• Distribution 2513:
  • Activation of the certification of Cardano node database v2 in the pre-release-preview network
  • Activation of the certification of Cardano node database v2 in the release-preprod network
• Next distribution:
  • Activation of the certification of Cardano node database v2 in the release-mainnet network.

For any inquiries or assistance, don't hesitate to contact the team on the Discord channel.

Distribution 2513 is now available​

The 2513.0 distribution has been released, introducing the following changes:

• ⚠️ Breaking changes in Mithril nodes:
  • The minimum required glibc version for pre-built Linux binaries has been upgraded from 2.31 to 2.35
  • Mithril signers running versions <=0.2.200 must be updated due to the removal of Thales era legacy code
  • The with_snapshot_uploader function in the Mithril client library has been renamed to with_file_uploader
• Added support for Cardano node 10.2.1 in the signer and aggregator
• Ended support for macOS x64 pre-built binaries for the client CLI
• Bug fixes and performance improvements.

This new distribution has been deployed to the Mithril aggregator on the release-mainnet and release-preprod networks.

If you are running a Mithril signer:

• pre-release-preview network: no action is required at this time
• release-preprod network: upgrade your signer node binary to version 0.2.237 – no configuration updates are required
• release-mainnet network: upgrade your signer node binary to version 0.2.237– no configuration updates are required.

You can update the Mithril signer using the one-line command below. It downloads to the current directory by default, but you can specify a custom folder using the -p option:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/input-output-hk/mithril/refs/heads/main/mithril-install.sh | sh -s -- -c mithril-signer -d 2513.0 -p $(pwd)

For any inquiries or assistance, contact the team on the Discord channel.

Ending support for macOS x64 pre-built binaries​

Since 2020, macOS has transitioned from Intel (x64 architecture) to Apple Silicon (arm64 architecture) processors.

Additionally, Cardano node version 10+ now supports only Apple Silicon on macOSX.

As a result, the Mithril team will end support for macOS x64 pre-built binaries for the client CLI starting March 2025.

From this date, CI will no longer build these binaries for GitHub releases. If you are still using macOS x64, you will need to build the binaries from source.

For any inquiries or assistance, contact the team on the Discord channel.

Announcing the decommissioning of the testing‑sanchonet network​

The testing-sanchonet Mithril network was introduced a year ago to allow the community to test experimental features and provide feedback to the Mithril team. In particular, it has been a valuable tool for testing the transition to the Conway era.

The Mithril team sincerely appreciates the Mithril pioneer stake pool operators for participating in testing and providing valuable feedback!

The Cardano SanchoNet network is now being sunset, having served its purpose of introducing governance features from CIP-1694 in a controlled testnet environment.

In this context, the Mithril team has decided to decommission the testing-sanchonet network:

• the aggregator will be terminated by February 21, 2025
• the network will be removed from the Mithril explorer
• the repository code will be cleaned up.

If you are running a Mithril signer on this network, you can safely terminate your node and remove the testing-sanchonet configuration from your setup.

Available Mithril networks are listed on the Network configurations page of the documentation website.

For any inquiries or assistance, contact the team on the Discord channel.

Mithril certificate chain could be manipulated by an adversarial signer (security advisory)​

The Mithril team has published a security advisory for users running the Mithril client on the mainnet infrastructure:

• Identifier: GHSA-724h-fpm5-4qvr
• Title: Mithril certificate chain could be manipulated by an adversarial signer
• Location: GHSA-724h-fpm5-4qvr
• Severity: High (5.3/10).

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/input-output-hk/mithril/refs/heads/main/mithril-install.sh | sh -s -- -c mithril-client -d 2506.0 -p $(pwd)

For any inquiries or assistance, feel free to contact the team on the Discord channel.

Distribution 2506 is now available​

We have released the 2506.0 distribution, which includes the following:

• Support for certifying protocol parameters and epochs in the certificate chain in clients
• Stable support for Cardano node v.10.1.4 in the signer and aggregator
• Removal of support for the Thales era in the signer and aggregator
• Stable support for aggregator HTTP response compression in the signer, aggregator, and clients
• Building and publication of both a stable version (for release networks) and an unstable version (for testing networks) of the explorer.

This new distribution has been deployed to the Mithril aggregator of the release-mainnet and release-preprod networks.

If you are running a Mithril signer:

• pre-release-preview network: no action is required at this time
• release-preprod network: upgrade your signer node binary to version 0.2.228 – no configuration updates are required
• release-mainnet network: upgrade your signer node binary to version 0.2.228 – no configuration updates are required.

You can easily update the Mithril signer with this one-line command. It downloads to the current directory by default, but a custom folder can be specified using the -p option:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/input-output-hk/mithril/refs/heads/main/mithril-install.sh | sh -s -- -c mithril-signer -d 2506.0 -p $(pwd)

For any inquiries or assistance, feel free to contact the team on the Discord channel.

Background​

Our continuous integration (CI) system uses GitHub Actions to build and test Mithril binaries across different platforms.

Currently, our CI targets Ubuntu 20.04, which results in a minimum required glibc version 2.31. This version is compatible with:

• Ubuntu 20.04
• Debian 11 (Bullseye).

However, GitHub Actions is deprecating Ubuntu 20.04 following the release of Ubuntu 24.04. Since GitHub Actions only supports the last two (LTS) versions, we need to update our CI environment to use a more recent version of Ubuntu.

Upcoming changes​

• Distribution 2506 will be the last release with a minimum required glibc version 2.31
• After distribution 2506, our CI builds will be updated to Ubuntu 22.04, raising the minimum required glibc version for our Linux binaries to 2.35.

Impact for users​

The new glibc 2.35 version is compatible with:

• Ubuntu 22.04
• Debian 12 (Bookworm).

If your system uses an older glibc version, you have two options:

1. Upgrade your system to a version that supports glibc 2.35
2. Compile the binaries from source.

Summary​

• Current minimum glibc version: 2.31
  • Compatible with Ubuntu 20.04, Debian 11 (Bullseye)
• New minimum glibc version: 2.35 (effective for distributions released from March 2025)
  • Compatible with Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12 (Bookworm).

For any inquiries or assistance, contact the team on the Discord channel.

Distribution 2450 is now available​

We have released the 2450.0 distribution, which includes the following:

• 🔥 Breaking changes in the Mithril client library, CLI, and WASM:
  • Removed the deprecated network field from the internal CardanoDbBeacon
  • Mithril certificates of type CardanoImmutableFilesFull cannot be verified with older clients
  • Clients from distribution 2445 and earlier must be updated
• Stable support for Cardano node v.10.1.3 in the signer and aggregator
• Stable support for a one-line shell installation script for the Mithril node prebuilt binaries
• Various bug fixes and performance improvements.

This new distribution has been deployed to the Mithril aggregator of the release-mainnet and release-preprod networks.

If you are running a Mithril signer:

• pre-release-preview network: no action is required at this time
• release-preprod network: upgrade your signer node binary to version 0.2.221 - no configuration updates are required
• release-mainnet network: upgrade your signer node binary to version 0.2.221 - no configuration updates are required.

You can easily update your Mithril signer with this one-line command (it downloads to the current directory by default; you can specify a custom folder by using the -p option):

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/input-output-hk/mithril/refs/heads/main/mithril-install.sh | sh -s -- -c mithril-signer -d 2450.0 -p $(pwd)

For any inquiries or assistance, feel free to contact the team on the Discord channel.

Era switch to Pythagoras​

We have introduced the Pythagoras era in the Mithril networks. The switch to Pythagoras is a significant milestone that brings new features and improvements to the Mithril protocol.

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/input-output-hk/mithril/refs/heads/main/mithril-install.sh | sh -s -- -c mithril-signer -d latest -p $(pwd)

Era switch plan for Pythagoras​

• pre-release-preview network:

  • Create the era switch transaction (done at epoch 757)
  • Complete the era switch to Pythagoras at the transition to epoch 759

• release-preprod network:

  • Create the era switch transaction (done at epoch 184)
  • Complete the era switch to Pythagoras at the transition to epoch 186

• release-mainnet network:

  • Create the era switch transaction (done at epoch 537)
  • Complete the era switch to Pythagoras at the transition to epoch 539.

For any inquiries or assistance, don't hesitate to contact the team on the Discord channel.

One line installer for Mithril binaries​

To simplify the installation and updating of Mithril binaries, we have created a one line installer that downloads and installs the Mithril binaries for you. This installer is available for Linux and macOS and supports the Mithril signer, Mithril aggregator, and Mithril client CLI.

The one line command is also displayed in the various Download the pre-built binary sections across the documentation.

Examples of the one line installer​

• Download the latest Mithril signer in the current directory:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/input-output-hk/mithril/refs/heads/main/mithril-install.sh | sh -s -- -c mithril-signer -d latest -p $(pwd)

• Download the latest Mithril client CLI in the current directory:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/input-output-hk/mithril/refs/heads/main/mithril-install.sh | sh -s -- -c mithril-client -d latest -p $(pwd)

• Download the unstable Mithril aggregator in the current directory:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/input-output-hk/mithril/refs/heads/main/mithril-install.sh | sh -s -- -c mithril-aggregator -d unstable -p $(pwd)

• Download the Mithril client of distribution 2445.0 in the current directory:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/input-output-hk/mithril/refs/heads/main/mithril-install.sh | sh -s -- -c mithril-client -d 2445.0 -p $(pwd)

Installer usage​

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/input-output-hk/mithril/refs/heads/main/mithril-install.sh | sh -s -- -h

Install or upgrade a Mithril node
Usage: sh [-n node] [-v version] [-d distribution] [-p path]
  -c node          : Mithril node to install or upgrade (mithril-signer, mithril-aggregator, mithril-client)
  -d distribution  : Distribution to upgrade to (latest, unstable or distribution version e.g '2445.0')
  -p path          : Path to install the component

For any inquiries or assistance, feel free to contact the team on the Discord channel.