Cardano developer Input Output Hong Kong (IOHK) has announced the alpha v1 release of the partner chains toolkit. The toolkit release marks a significant milestone as it will enable blockchain builders to bootstrap security, leveraging Cardano’s Stake Pool Operators (SPO).

Enhancing security and advantages of toolkit

Notably, during the Cardano summit held last year, founder Charles Hoskinson delineated the path of the alpha v1 and his vision for partner chains. This development came about due to the limited number of validators on some chains, which therefore made them prone to low-cost attacks.

However, with the partner chain’s alpha v1 release, developers can now leverage the Cardano SPO to boost their security. This will be achieved as both new and preexisting networks can rapidly increase the number of validators for better security efficiency.

Aside from the feature of shared security, other advantages of the release include a mixed validator committee, consensus model flexibility, opt-out capability and SPO participation. The mixed validator committee aims to guarantee balanced oversight as it comprises committees of trusted permissioned validators and Cardano SPOs.

Cardano toolkit community-based approach

Additionally, the partner chain can combine any consensus model and transition to layer-1 status with complete independence from Cardano without the need for a lock-in mechanism. Furthermore, the toolkit makes it simple and seamless for any Cardano SPO to become a validator for a partner chain without incurring huge costs, per hardware upgrades or software expenses.

According to the update, the alpha v1 release signals the commencement of the process as a feedback mechanism from the community. Based on reviews, it will progress to the next stage. However, Input Output has decided to transparently launch it alongside its community and receive feedback.

The first partner chain that will launch is Midnight. This integrates the technology of partner chains with Cardano SPOs to function as a bootstrapping validator for the network.