MLabs Publications
The many minds at MLabs present news, case studies, editorials, tutorials, whitepapers, Cardano Catalyst proposals, and more.
Do You Even PLift? Bridging Haskell & Plutarch with PLiftable for Efficient On-Chain Data
In this post, discover how PLiftable seamlessly translates Haskell types into Plutarch terms, giving you clear, efficient on-chain data representations. We’ll walk through builtin, SOP, and Data encodings—showing you how to write reversible, performant conversions that boost the reliability and performance of your Cardano scripts.
The 'A' is for 'Accelerated': Checking ASCII with SWAR
In this post, discover how to push Haskell’s performance boundaries by using SWAR (“SIMD Within A Register”) techniques to validate ASCII data in bulk. You’ll see how packing bytes into registers—using bit masking to flag non-ASCII values in parallel—and unrolling loops to leverage the CPU’s superscalar engine both drive down overhead. By the end, we'll transfer a simple foldl'-based ASCII detecting function into a version running 10x faster.
Quasiquoting for Fun, Profit, Expressions and Patterns
In this post, discover how quasiquoters overcome three key smart-constructor limitations—compile-time errors, lack of pattern matching, and fixed syntax—by leveraging Template Haskell to produce both expressions and patterns with familiar, literal syntax.
An Introduction to the Concepts Behind YTxP Architecture
Discover the core principles behind YTxP architecture—a robust approach to modeling Cardano protocols that streamlines smart contract upgrades and optimizes transaction efficiency. Explore how yielding scripts delegate validations to authorized scripts using state thread tokens, paving the way for secure and maintainable protocol designs.
Cardano Plomin Hard Fork - developer upgrade guide
Its an exciting time to be building on Cardano - the Plomin hard fork recently went live. While this exciting for governance and the roadmap ahead, in this guide I want to give a short summary on the major changes and things that Cardano dApp developers should look out for.
Testing dApps on Cardano with CLB emulator
Discover how to test dApps on Cardano using MLabs’ CLB emulator, a cutting-edge tool for property-based and mutation-based testing funded by Project Catalyst in Fund10. Learn about state machine modeling, unified testing with Atlas, and integration with CTL.
Inside MLabs: Get to Know Ben, Our Chief Technical Officer
At MLabs, we’re fortunate to have an incredibly talented team of experts driving innovation every day. We recently sat down with our Chief Technical Officer, Ben, to get to know him better and learn more about his role, career journey, and insights into the world of software development. Here’s what he had to say:
What The Conway Upgrade Brings to MLabs' Suite of DApp Development Tools
MLabs is upgrading its suite of open-source Cardano tools to support the Conway era and Plutus V3. Enhancements include Ply for CIP-57 blueprint generation, lightweight Conway testnets via NixOS, and updates to LambdaBuffers, YTxP, and Tx Village for compatibility. These upgrades aim to simplify DApp development, improve tool interoperability, and streamline developer workflows.
Pisa Fees: A Decentralized Protocol for Paying Transaction Fees with Non-ADA Assets
Pisa Fees is a decentralized protocol enabling Cardano transaction fees to be paid in non-ADA tokens via smart contracts. It facilitates token-to-ADA "Feeswap" exchanges without requiring complex ledger changes, benefiting DeFi, gaming, and other blockchain applications. Supported by Catalyst Fund, it promotes broader adoption and usability on Cardano.
How Covenant Will Deliver You to the Promised Land (of Scripts)
Covenant introduces a Turner-total, call-by-push-value, serializable DSL designed for reliable, secure programming in domains like smart contracts. It guarantees termination, safe execution, and predictability. By serving as a target for higher-level tools, Covenant supports composability and serialization, enabling developers to create robust applications with confidence in correctness and performance.
Cardano Racers - Driving Daily Engagement
In this post, we showcase Cardano Racers, one of the first games built on Cardano. Launched in March 2024, the game is set on a mission to boost engagement and encourage active participation in the Cardano ecosystem. The game can be played at https://www.cardanoracers.com/
MLabs Helps Liqwid Finance Take the Lead
Liqwid is a DeFi (Decentralized Finance) lending protocol building on the Cardano ...
Cardano Plutus Script Vulnerability Guide
This post aims to provide a curated list of some of the most common patterns that might ...
How Execution Budgeting Works for On-Chain Scripts
In this article, we delve into the workings of the Untyped Plutus Core (UPLC) cost model, ...
MLabs Helps Two Streamline Business Transactions
Invoicing is an essential, everyday operation for companies across the globe. Two is a ...
MLabs Helps Juspay Secure India Ecommerce
Ecommerce in India is growing at lightning speed. As consumers and businesses move online ...
MLabs Helps Indigo Synthesise Assets
Cardano dominates the blockchain financial instruments space with security beyond ...
Clarity, A Governance Tool for Projects on the Cardano Blockchain
Clarity is a protocol for governance on the Cardano blockchain. Governance of what? ...
Harness the Power of DAOs on the Cardano blockchain with Clarity DAO
Efficient and effective governance of Web 3.0 applications requires a certain level of ...
Time is Running Out to Vote on the Future of Decentralized Innovation!
Tick tock! As the Project Catalyst Fund12 voting nears its end, we wanted to seize this ...