[Proposal setup] Proposal title
Please provide your proposal title
SPO-Powered Public Access Layer - Cardano Community API Pool
[Proposal Summary] Budget Information
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
195000
[Proposal Summary] Time
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
7
[Proposal Summary] Translation Information
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
[Proposal Summary] Problem Statement
What is the problem you want to solve?
Cardano has strong infrastructure but no simple SPO-backed access layer, making it hard for builders and enterprises to know which API to trust or how to plug in.
[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation
Supporting links
[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
Yes
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
The project is designed to minimise critical external dependencies, but it does rely on: Cardano testnet infrastructure – for deploying and testing the prototype safely before any potential mainnet rollout. Participating SPOs – who agree to run API-enabled nodes as part of the pilot and provide the underlying infrastructure for the Community API Pool. Standard Cardano tooling and libraries – such as CIP-30 compatible wallets, node and SDK tooling used for integration and testing. MagmaDevs – an experienced infrastructure engineering team contributing to Lava Network, who will support the initial implementation of the routing, monitoring and registry components. These dependencies are considered low risk because: The system is built to work with multiple SPOs rather than any single provider, reducing operational concentration risk. We will start on testnet and extend to a live mainnet pool during this fund, so behaviour can be validated safely first, then hardened and monitored under real mainnet usage. All core components developed with MagmaDevs’ support will be open sourced and documented, so that other Cardano contributors and SPOs can maintain or extend the system over time.
[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
Yes
Please provide details on the intellectual property (IP) status of your project outputs, including whether they will be released as open source or retained under another licence.
The project will be open source under Apache-2.0. Smart contracts, on-chain registry, routing, monitoring and dashboard code will be released once stabilised and security-reviewed. Docs, configs and examples will be public. This balances security with ecosystem value, letting SPOs, wallets and other infra teams adopt, extend and contribute to the Community API Pool.
[Theme Selection] Theme
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Infrastructure
[Campaign Category] Category Questions
Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously launched in the market (whether by you or others).
The innovation is not “just another API endpoint”; it is a Cardano-native, SPO-powered access layer that:
- Treats SPOs as core service providers for APIs, not only for block production.
- Uses an on-chain registry and payment logic so that:
- SPO participation is transparent, and
- Rewards are allocated based on measured quality of service (uptime, latency, correctness).
- Presents developers with a single, chain-level access point that is backed by multiple independent operators, rather than a single vendor.
While there are individual infra providers and public endpoints in many ecosystems, there is no standard SPO-centric API pool on Cardano that combines:
- a unified public endpoint,
- on-chain transparency of who is providing infra, and
- a clear route for funds to flow back to SPOs based on performance.
Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.
The MVP we are delivering under this category is a live Cardano Community API Pool running on both testnet and mainnet. The underlying infra model is already proven on other ecosystems; what we are prototyping for Cardano is the SPO-centric configuration, performance metrics and reward mechanics.
It will demonstrate:
- A working Community API endpoint on Cardano testnet and mainnet, which developers can use to query chain state and submit transactions.
- Live routing and failover between multiple SPO-hosted endpoints, so that no single provider is a point of failure.
- A dashboard showing:
- which SPOs are participating,
- basic performance metrics (uptime, latency, request counts), and
- how the pool behaves under real usage across testnet and mainnet.
- A payment pipeline from this fund to SPOs acting as service providers, tied to quality-of-service metrics while the pool is live.
Access:
- The Community API endpoint will be exposed at a public URL for testnet and mainnet (e.g. https://[cardanot.lava.build]/ and e.g. https://[cardano.lava.build]/) with clear usage examples in the documentation.
- The dashboard will be accessible via a web interface so that SPOs, builders and reviewers can observe prototype activity.
Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.
We will track success across three dimensions:
1. Usage of the live pool (demand side):
- Number of unique applications / scripts / integrations using the Community API endpoints on testnet and mainnet.
- Total number of requests serviced by the pool on testnet and mainnet over the funding period.
- On-chain interactions triggered by those integrations (for example, transactions submitted and other measurable testnet and mainnet usage attributable to the pool).
2. SPO participation and performance (supply side):
- Number of SPOs participating in the live pool.
- SPO uptime and median response latency over time.
- On-chain records of payments to SPOs for services provided under this grant (testnet and mainnet where applicable).
3. Community & ecosystem validation
- Feedback from participating SPOs on the fairness, clarity and practicality of the model.
- Feedback from builders on ease of integration and perceived reliability.
- Public reports and open discussions in Cardano community channels.
Where possible, metrics such as SPO payment events, registry updates and significant usage milestones will be reflected or anchored on-chain so that they can be independently audited by the community.
[Your Project and Solution] Solution
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
We’re launching a live, SPO-powered API pool on Cardano testnet and mainnet, giving builders one reliable entry point and sending rewards back to SPOs.
It addresses the problem in three main ways:
1. Unified SPO-Powered Endpoints on Testnet and Mainnet
- Instead of each SPO or provider exposing isolated APIs, the project offers one Community API endpoint for testnet and one for mainnet that route requests across multiple SPOs.
- This gives developers a simple and reliable entry point to Cardano in both environments, reducing fragmentation and configuration overhead.
2. On-Chain Transparency & Payments Back to SPOs
- An on-chain registry tracks which SPOs participate in the pool and summarises their performance.
- Funds from this grant are used to pay SPOs as infrastructure service providers, based on objective metrics such as uptime and latency while the pool is live.
- This makes both the service and the funding flow transparent and verifiable, and ensures that grant funds are channelled back into the Cardano operator ecosystem.
3. Developer-Friendly Access & Documentation
- The project includes clear documentation and example code to help wallets, dapps, explorers and tools integrate the Community API endpoints on testnet and mainnet.
- By prioritising developer experience and reliability, the pool lowers friction for new teams and supports more experiments, pilots and production launches on Cardano.
[Your Project and Solution] Impact
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
The pool turns SPOs into the front door for Cardano, while giving builders and enterprises a single, trusted way to connect.
[Your Project and Solution] Capabilities & Feasibility
What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?
We’re not experimenting from scratch – we’re adapting a proven public RPC model to Cardano, with an experienced infra team and open metrics.
Capability & Track Record
- The team has several years of experience building and operating high-availability RPC/API infrastructure for leading blockchain ecosystems, including live public pools that have handled over 150BN requests to date with uptime of 99.999%.
- We have already delivered public access layers that serve millions of daily requests, supporting wallets, DeFi platforms, explorers and other production systems:
- On NEAR specifically, the public pool evolved into the default RPC provider, at one point serving over half of NEAR’s RPC traffic and onboarding 50+ independent providers into a community-driven infra marketplace.
- Similar public RPC/API pools have been deployed for Arbitrum and other ecosystems, and are used by leading foundations and projects who depend on reliable, high-volume infrastructure.
- Beyond ecosystem-wide pools, the same infrastructure model is used in production by Fireblocks, a leading institutional digital asset platform, which relies on Lava Network to provide reliable multi-chain RPC access for its clients.
- Meeting Fireblocks’ requirements for availability, performance and monitoring means the Cardano Community API Pool is built on an infrastructure stack that has already passed institutional due-diligence and is operated under real production constraints
- The team includes engineers and product owners with public GitHub repositories and verifiable LinkedIn profiles that demonstrate relevant expertise in infra, smart contracts and developer tooling.
Trust & Accountability
- Core pool contracts, configuration and documentation will be made open source, enabling external review and contribution.
- Performance data and payments to SPOs will be observable via on-chain records and a public dashboard, so the community can verify that funds are being used as described.
- We will publish regular updates in Cardano community channels, with clear reporting against milestones (for both testnet and mainnet operations).
Feasibility Validation
- We will phase the deployment:
- first launching and validating the pool on testnet, and
- then extending to a live mainnet pool during this fund.
- We will work with a cohort of SPOs and builders to test real usage across both environments, collect feedback and tune performance and incentives.
- The underlying infra pattern is already proven on other ecosystems; this fund is about adapting and validating that model in a Cardano- and SPO-centric way.
We are also in active contact with Cardano builders and the Cardano Foundation team to validate Cardano-specific technical choices.
This includes asking for feedback on API coverage, node configuration, monitoring priorities and integration paths for wallets and dapps.
That collaboration helps ensure the pool is not just technically sound from a Lava Network point of view, but also aligned with how Cardano teams actually run infrastructure and build products today.
[Milestones] Project Milestones
Milestone Title
Design & On-Chain Registry for SPO Pool
Milestone Outputs
- Finalised technical architecture for the Cardano Community API Pool, covering the SPO registry, routing layer, monitoring stack and payment logic.
- An initial smart-contract / on-chain registry implementation is deployed on a Cardano testnet, including data structures for registering SPOs and storing metadata.
- At least 3–5 SPOs are identified, invited and successfully registered in the testnet registry for early integration testing and feedback.
Acceptance Criteria
- The SPO registry contract is deployed and verifiable on a Cardano testnet, with the contract address and parameters documented.
- SPO registration and metadata update flows work end-to-end via test transactions or scripts.
- Internal tests confirm that registry reads and writes behave as expected, with correct handling of edge cases such as duplicate registrations, invalid data and basic error conditions.
Evidence of Completion
- A link to the testnet contract address and the open-source code repository is provided, allowing the community to review the implementation.
- A short technical note or README describes how the registry works, how SPOs can register and how the data is used by the pool.
- Screenshots or logs demonstrate successful registrations and updates for at least 3–5 SPOs, confirming that the basic registry flow is live and usable.
Delivery Month
1
Cost
58500
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
Testnet Community API Endpoint & Monitoring
Milestone Outputs
- A routing service is implemented and connected to the registered SPO endpoints on testnet, allowing API and RPC requests to be distributed across multiple operators.
- A monitoring stack is deployed to collect key metrics such as uptime, latency, error rates and basic correctness checks for each SPO endpoint.
- A public testnet Community API endpoint is exposed for reading chain state and submitting transactions, with initial documentation and example code showing how wallets, dapps and scripts can integrate.
Acceptance Criteria
- Requests sent to the testnet Community API endpoint are successfully routed to participating SPOs and return correct responses for a representative set of methods.
- Monitoring dashboards show live metrics for all testnet SPOs, including availability and latency over a defined period.
- At least one real testnet wallet, dapp or scripted integration uses the endpoint in practice, confirming that the API is functional, compatible and fit for early builders.
Evidence of Completion
- A public URL for the testnet Community API endpoint is shared, together with a link to documentation and code samples that demonstrate how to call it.
- Screenshots or exports from the monitoring dashboards clearly show SPO performance metrics tracked over time, including uptime and latency.
- A link to an open-source example integration, or logs from a partner integration, demonstrates successful end-to-end usage of the testnet endpoint in a realistic scenario.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
16500
Progress
30 %
Milestone Title
Mainnet Community API Pool Launch
Milestone Outputs
- The Community API endpoint is launched on Cardano mainnet, using the routing and monitoring pattern proven on testnet so that traffic can be safely handled by multiple SPOs.
- A defined cohort of SPOs is onboarded to serve mainnet API traffic, with appropriate configuration and monitoring in place.
- Live monitoring dashboards are updated to include mainnet metrics alongside testnet, and documentation is expanded to cover mainnet usage, integration details and any mainnet-specific considerations.
Acceptance Criteria
- The mainnet Community API endpoint is live, responsive and listed in the official project documentation as ready for use by builders and integrators.
- A minimum cohort of SPOs is actively serving mainnet traffic, with evidence that routing is distributing requests as intended.
- Monitoring confirms that the mainnet pool maintains acceptable uptime and latency targets over a defined observation window, with no critical reliability issues under realistic load.
Evidence of Completion
- Public URLs for the mainnet Community API endpoint and the updated documentation are provided, allowing anyone to review and integrate the service. Monitoring screenshots or exports clearly show mainnet traffic patterns, SPO participation and performance against agreed metrics. Internal or external test reports, or logs from partner integrations, demonstrate that the mainnet endpoint is functioning correctly and reliably for real-world requests.
Delivery Month
3
Cost
24600
Progress
60 %
Milestone Title
SPO Payments & Operations
Milestone Outputs
- SPO reward distributions are completed for the remaining three months of pool operation, covering Months 5–7 of the live testnet and mainnet pool.
- Aggregated metrics are produced on total pool usage, including request volumes, number of integrations, and the split between mainnet and testnet traffic, as well as SPO performance (uptime, latency and any error trends).
- Internal lessons and recommendations are documented for future governance, funding models and potential improvements to the Community API Pool.
Acceptance Criteria
- On-chain records confirm that SPOs have received the planned rewards for Months 5–7, in line with the defined payment logic and quality-of-service metrics.
- A comprehensive metrics summary shows how the pool was used over the full six-month live period, including the number of active SPOs, total requests, mainnet/testnet breakdown and performance trends.
- A set of actionable recommendations for governance and funding is produced, informed by data and feedback from SPOs and builders.
Evidence of Completion
- A list of payment transactions with links to on-chain records is published, providing transparency on how the 140,000 ADA reward pool has been distributed to SPOs.
- A final metrics dashboard or report is made available, showing aggregated usage and performance statistics for the live period.
- An internal design or governance note summarises lessons learned, challenges encountered and recommended next steps, and can be shared or adapted for future Cardano governance discussions.
Delivery Month
7
Cost
72000
Progress
90 %
Milestone Title
Project Close-Out Report & Video
Milestone Outputs
- A public written report is produced summarising the results of the Cardano Community API Pool, including goals, design, SPO participation, traffic levels, performance metrics and reward distribution.
- A short video walkthrough is created to explain what was built, how SPOs and builders can get involved, and the main outcomes of the project.
- A final update is shared with the Cardano community (for example via forum posts or community calls), linking to all public resources and inviting ongoing discussion.
Acceptance Criteria
- The close-out report is published online and is accessible to the Cardano community, clearly documenting what was delivered, how funds were used and what impact was achieved.
- The close-out video is publicly available and provides a concise, accessible explanation of the pool, aimed at SPOs, builders and voters.
- At least one final community update or post is made in relevant Cardano channels, sharing links to the report and video and inviting feedback or next-step conversations.
Evidence of Completion
- URLs to the written report and video are provided, demonstrating that both artefacts are accessible to the public.
- Screenshots or links to the final community update (for example a Cardano forum post, Discord announcement or similar) show that the results have been shared back with the ecosystem.
- Together, these materials provide a clear trail of what was funded, what was delivered, and how the work can be extended or adopted by SPOs and builders after the project ends.
Delivery Month
7
Progress
100 %
[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
The total budget requested is 195,000 ADA, allocated as follows:
1. SPO Rewards – 140,000 ADA (70%)
The remaining 140,000 ADA (70%) is allocated entirely to SPO rewards for operating the live Community API Pool over six months (Month 2–Month 7). All of this funding is directed back into the Cardano operator ecosystem as payments for infrastructure services, not as discretionary giveaways.
The SPO rewards are structured as:
- Month 2 – Testnet-only rewards (lower amount): 11,000 ADA
- The pool is live on testnet and SPOs receive a combined 11,000 ADA for providing API/RPC services during this first live month.
- This allows us to validate the configuration, monitoring and reward logic under real usage, before scaling mainnet rewards.
- Months 3–7 – Live on mainnet and testnet: 125,500 ADA
- The remaining 126,000 ADA is distributed evenly over 5 months (Months 3–7), at 25,200 ADA per month, with a 70:30 split between mainnet and testnet:
- Mainnet: 17,640 ADA per month
- Testnet: 7,560 ADA per month
- Over Months 3–7, this results in:
- 88,200 ADA total to mainnet SPOs, and
- 37,800 ADA additional to testnet SPOs.
- Combined with Month 2, total SPO rewards are:
- 51,800 ADA to testnet SPOs, and
- 88,200 ADA to mainnet SPOs,
- for a total of 140,000 ADA in infrastructure rewards.
2. Team (Design, Architecture & Coordination) – 60,000 ADA (30%)
- 60,000 ADA (30% of the total) is allocated to the project team in Month 1.
- This covers:
- detailed design and architecture of the Cardano Community API Pool,
- implementation of the SPO registry and payment logic on testnet,
- project management, coordination with SPOs, and initial documentation.
- This work enables the live pool to operate safely on testnet and mainnet for the rest of the grant period.
3. Alignment with Milestones
This budget maps directly to the Milestones as follows:
- Milestone 1 – Design & Registry (Month 1): 60,000 ADA (team/foundation 30%).
- Milestone 2 – Testnet Endpoint & Monitoring (Month 2): 14,000 ADA (testnet-only SPO rewards).
- Milestone 3 – Mainnet Pool Launch (Months 3–4): 50,400 ADA (2 months of rewards at 25,200 ADA/month).
- Milestone 4 – SPO Payments & Operations (Months 5–7): 75,600 ADA (3 months of rewards at 25,200 ADA/month).
- Milestone 5 – Project Close-Out Report & Video 0 ADA (close-out report and video, covered by Milestone 1 team allocation)
No part of this budget is used for retroactive funding, speculation, token purchases, or general giveaways.
- 70% is returned directly to Stake Pool Operators as transparent, performance-linked payments for running the live Community API Pool on Cardano testnet and mainnet.
- 30% funds the design, deployment and coordination required to make the pool operational.
[Final Pitch] Value for Money
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
This proposal represents strong value for the Cardano ecosystem because it:
- Channels funds back to SPOs, who are already central to Cardano’s security and resilience, by compensating them for additional infrastructure services that directly benefit all builders.
- Delivers a live, reusable Community API Pool on both testnet and mainnet, which can continue to support applications beyond the grant period.
- Lowers the barrier to entry for new and smaller teams by providing a reliable, SPO-backed access layer, increasing the likelihood that they prototype, launch and maintain projects on Cardano rather than elsewhere.
- Pilots a transparent, Cardano-specific model for funding public infrastructure, which can be reused or extended in future funds.
- This infrastructure is trusted not only by ecosystems like NEAR, Arbitrum and Hedera, but also by enterprise platforms such as Fireblocks, which rely on it for secure, scalable multi-chain access. Cardano SPOs will be using a battle-tested approach that already serves institutional use cases.
Rather than funding a single, narrow application, this project invests in shared infrastructure that can support many wallets, dapps, research projects and educational initiatives, multiplying the impact of every ADA spent.
[Self-Assessment] Self-Assessment Checklist
I confirm that evidence of prior research, whitepaper, design, or proof-of-concept is provided.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal includes ecosystem research and uses the findings to either (a) justify its uniqueness over existing solutions or (b) demonstrate the value of its novel approach.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal demonstrates technical capability via verifiable in-house talent or a confirmed development partner (GitHub, LinkedIn, portfolio, etc.)
Yes
I confirm that the proposer and all team members are in good standing with prior Catalyst projects.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal clearly defines the problem and the value of the on-chain utility.
Yes
I confirm that the primary goal of the proposal is a working prototype deployed on at least a Cardano testnet.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal outlines a credible and clear technical plan and architecture.
Yes
I confirm that the budget and timeline (≤ 12 months) are realistic for the proposed work.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal includes a community engagement and feedback plan to amplify prototype adoption with the Cardano ecosystem.
Yes
I confirm that the budget is for future development only; excludes retroactive funding, incentives, giveaways, re-granting, or sub-treasuries.
Yes
[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation
I Agree
Yes