Stellar Foundation Adds Protocol 30 Release Checklist Ahead of Bell Votes

The Stellar Development Foundation added a software release checklist to its Bell upgrade guide Oct. 23, giving developers and operators version details as validators approach November votes on Protocol 30.

The list names Stellar Core, Horizon, RPC and Galexie v30.0.0, JavaScript SDK v17.3.0 and Go SDK v0.8.0. Soroban Rust SDK 30.0.0-rc.1 remained a release candidate, with a stable version expected before the mainnet vote. Stellar CLI’s Protocol 30 release was still pending.

The checklist covers software at different release stages and uses separate version sequences for core components and SDKs. It does not set a single version floor for every team. Developers and operators will need to consider which components their applications use as they prepare for the proposed upgrade.

Compatibility involves both reading the updated ledger format and handling W addresses. JavaScript SDK v16.4.0 can decode Protocol 30 ledgers but does not support W addresses; v17.3.0 supports them. Older SDKs may fail to decode the changed ledger headers, and custom XDR decoders may also need updates. Applications that handle addresses need to recognize W addresses in their validation and storage logic.

A W address combines a smart-contract address with a 64-bit identifier, allowing one contract to distinguish payments for different customers. The format is part of Bell’s planned smart-account changes.

Bell would also add ML-DSA signature verification inside smart contracts. Network transaction signatures would continue to use Ed25519, so the change applies to contract checks rather than signatures for network transactions. The upgrade would also record ledger close times with millisecond resolution, but that change alone would not make ledgers close faster.

The testnet validator vote is scheduled for Nov. 3, followed by the mainnet vote Nov. 23; both are set for noon ET (1700 UTC). The dates may change, and the upgrade will take effect only if validators approve it.