I-Cardano iyinkundla ye-blockchain ehlukaniselwe (decentralized) ehlose ukunikeza ingqalasizinda evikeleke kakhudlwana nevumelana nemvelo (sustainable) yama-cryptocurrency nama-smart contracts. Yaqaliswa ngo-2017, yaklanywa kwasekuqaleni ukuze ibe namandla okusingatha (scalable) amaningi, kube nokuxhumana/ukuhlangana (interoperable) okungcono, kanye nokusobala (transparent) kunamanye amapulatifomu e-blockchain akhona.

Okuyinhloko, i-Cardano isebenzisa indlela yokuvumelana (consensus) ye-proof-of-stake ebizwa ngokuthi u-Ouroboros, eyivumela ukuthi icubungule imisebenzi (transactions) ngokuphumelelayo kakhudlwana ngenkathi yehlisa ukusetshenziswa kwamandla. Ngokungafani nezinhlelo ze-proof-of-work ezisetshenziswa yi-Bitcoin namanye ama-cryptocurrency, i-proof-of-stake ayidingi ukuthi abembi (miners) bancintisane ukuze bathole imivuzo ngokuxazulula izimfumbo eziyinkimbinkimbi ze-cryptography. Esikhundleni salokho, ababambe iqhaza (stakeholders) bangabamba iqhaza kunethiwekhi ngokugcina nokufaka i-stake amakhoyini abo e-ADA, asetshenziselwa ukuqinisekisa imisebenzi nokuvikela i-blockchain.