Core Infrastructure Definition

Published date: 26/7/2024

This page is written on behalf of the Core Infrastructure Roadmap working group, the information contained is subject to change and amendment by the working group at any time.

Core Infrastructure is an inventory of essential services that support vital economic and social activities within Cardano. It supports the fundamental building blocks upon which the next abstraction layer supports Builders and enables DApps. The definition of Core Infrastructure (CI) will change upon agreement with the 'Technical Steering Committee (TSC), associated Technical Working Groups (TWGs), and the Cardano Infrastructure Roadmap working group (CIR-WG).

Whilst not exhaustive, this includes Cardano Node, Plutus, Cardano wallet, agreed tools, or low-level enabling; it is envisaged that determining what is "Core Infrastructure" is part of the 'triage', where incoming proposals are tested against a growing list of 'Core Infrastructure'. It is reasonable to expect that a combination of TSC, CIR-WG, and TWGs will converge upon a non-moving definition after an agreed-upon period.

How are items Triaged, and in what format are those accepted in?

Items inbound will be accepted as four essential items defined below and will be received into GitHub (or other agreed inbound route e.g., email):

Short	Term	Definition
CIP	Cardano Improvement Process	This is a technical change initiated by an individual or someone representing an organization/group. A CIP is a document starting in a draft phase before being refined and promoted to a 'review/accepted' state based on agreed completeness at the CIP review
CPS	Cardano Problem Statement	This is more of an operational change appropriate to the Cardano Blockchain
LBC	Lean Business Case	A formatted proposal which outlines the reason or proposal, the value it brings, the driver. This may result in additional CIPs or CPSs to break down this LBC. Consult the glossary for details of expectations of a valid LBC.
SEF	Security or Emergency Fix	This will follow an expedited route, which is to be defined in conjunction with the Technical Steering Committee and Delivery Assurance

Additional Notes and Guidance for LBC and SEF

The following items will be tested for eligibility, and it should be noted that while a CPS or, indeed, LBC is not initially CI, the overall change could encompass required changes to CI to achieve this LBC.

• A Lean Business Case (LBC) is a formatted proposal that outlines the reason or proposal, its value, and the driver. This may create additional CIPs or CPSs to break this down and deliver it in logical phases.

• Security or Emergency Fix (SEF): An expedited route could result from a perceived threat, a behaviour observed and accelerated through a security or performance benchmark. Such an item will be fast-tracked to ensure timely resolution.

A separate glossary will be provided to house all the necessary attributes expected in this document. Once the glossary is set up, it will be linked to the relevant terms.