Stellar Adapter Upgrade Targets Easier Smart Contracts and Faster Consensus

Stellar is preparing for a major blockchain upgrade designed to simplify smart contract development while improving network performance as adoption and activity continue to grow.

The upcoming Adapter upgrade, also known as Protocol 28, introduces three key changes focused on Soroban smart contracts and Stellar’s consensus infrastructure. According to Stellar, the upgrade aims to give developers better tools for building, upgrading, and scaling blockchain applications without sacrificing the network’s speed or low transaction costs.

Two proposals, CAP-85 and CAP-86, specifically target Soroban development. CAP-85 introduces atomic upgrades for groups of smart contracts that share the same code. Instead of updating multiple contracts individually, developers can change a shared executable reference and upgrade an entire fleet simultaneously. This approach could reduce the number of contracts developers need to deploy while making upgrades safer and more efficient.

CAP-86 focuses on simplifying smart contract data migrations. Protocol 28 adds sparse map host functions, allowing contracts to handle missing or additional fields more effectively as their data structures evolve. This should make it easier for developers to modify applications without causing compatibility issues.

Meanwhile, CAP-83 addresses Stellar’s consensus layer. The change is intended to improve consensus performance during periods of heavy network activity and help validators continue reaching agreement when transaction data takes longer to propagate. The improvement is particularly important as Stellar seeks to scale its blockchain infrastructure for real-world financial applications.

Stellar has also outlined its rollout schedule. The Adapter core stable release arrived on August 13, followed by infrastructure and SDK releases scheduled between August 13 and August 21.

The Stellar testnet vote is scheduled for August 27 at 17:00 UTC, when Protocol 28 could activate on testnet. The mainnet vote is planned for September 16 at 17:00 UTC, potentially bringing Adapter to the Stellar mainnet.

Operators using SDK-based integrations are encouraged to update their SDKs ahead of the respective testnet and mainnet deadlines. Overall, the Adapter upgrade represents another step toward making Stellar and Soroban more scalable and developer-friendly.