Amaru는 Cardano 네트워크를 위한 완전 상호운용 가능한 블록 생성 노드를 구현하는 오픈소스 프로젝트임.
이 프로젝트는 네트워크의 접근성과 견고성을 향상시키면서도 안전성과 보안을 유지하는 데 중점을 둠.

Amaru는 스테이크 풀 운영자와 개발자 모두에게 모듈화된 접근법, 원활한 사용자 경험, 낮은 하드웨어 요구사항을 제공하는 새로운 대안을 제시함.
주로 Rust 언어로 구현되어 있어 높은 신뢰성을 보장하며, 생태계 핵심 유지보수에 새로운 기여자를 유치하는 데 적합함[3].

프로젝트는 투명성과 검증을 중시하며, 온체인에서 완전한 투명성을 제공하고 모든 작업 내역을 기록해 감사가 가능하도록 설계됨[1].
또한, GitHub Pull Request를 통한 명확한 코드 및 문서 전달 방식을 채택해 개발 프로세스의 체계성을 확보함[1].

2025년 6월 기준, Amaru는 Cardano 거버넌스 재무 출금에 첫 적용되어 탈중앙화와 네트워크 복원력 강화에 중요한 진전을 이룸[4].

요약하면, Amaru는 Rust 기반의 혁신적인 Cardano 노드 클라이언트로, 네트워크 다양성과 안정성을 높이고 개발자 친화적인 환경을 제공하는 프로젝트임[3][4].

---

*주석*
- 상호운용성(interoperable): 서로 다른 시스템이나 소프트웨어가 원활하게 작동하는 능력
- 스테이크 풀(stake pool): Cardano 네트워크에서 블록 생성에 참여하는 노드 집합
- 온체인(on-chain): 블록체인 네트워크 내에서 직접 이루어지는 작업이나 기록
- 거버넌스 재무 출금(governance treasury withdrawal): 네트워크 운영 자금의 공식적인 인출 과정

Amaru는 PRAGMA 산하의 다중 기관 협력 프로젝트임.

PRAGMA는 블록체인 소프트웨어 프로젝트를 위한 회원 기반 비영리 오픈소스 협회로, Cardano 생태계와 그 외를 위한 대안적 오픈소스 생태계 조성을 목표로 함.

현재 PRAGMA 전략과 운영은 Blink Labs, Cardano Foundation, dcSpark, Sundae Labs, TxPipe 등 5개 회원사가 동등한 권한으로 주도하고 있음. 이들은 모두 Cardano 기반 개발 및 생태계 지원에 검증된 경험을 보유함[1][2][3][5].

Amaru는 Rust로 작성된 Cardano용 노드 클라이언트이며, 관리 위원회가 운영함. 위원회는 다음과 같이 역할별로 구성됨:
- Arnaud Bailly: 합의 및 시뮬레이션 테스트 담당
- Matthias Benkort: 원장 및 전체 아키텍처 담당
- Pi Lanningham: 임시 작업 및 미들웨어 통합 담당
- Santiago Carmuega: P2P 네트워킹 담당
- Damien Czapla: 프로젝트 관리, 홍보 및 마케팅 담당[원문].

Amaru 개발 이유는 다음과 같음:

1. **더 나은 자원 사용**
기존 Haskell 노드는 높은 메모리 사용 등 자원 소모가 크고, 이를 제한하기 위한 프로토콜 매개변수가 필요했음. Amaru는 다른 설계 선택으로 자원 효율을 개선함.

2. **산업 표준 수준의 관측성**
Amaru는 모니터링, 추적, 로깅에 산업 표준을 적용해 운영자가 노드 동작을 더 잘 파악할 수 있도록 함.

3. **향상된 상호운용성**
Rust 기반으로 다양한 블록체인 솔루션 생태계와 쉽게 연동 가능하며, 웹어셈블리, RISC-V 등 여러 플랫폼 지원이 용이함. 이는 Haskell 노드로는 어려운 새로운 사용 사례와 기여자 참여를 가능케 함.

4. **높은 신뢰성과 견고성**
새로운 구현은 기존 소프트웨어를 세밀히 분석하며 버그와 문서 미비점을 발견·개선함. Amaru 개발 과정에서 이미 여러 차례 입증됨. 다중 노드 구현은 개발 시간 단축과 견고한 설계로 수렴하는 데 도움됨.

5. **분산화 강화**
단일 노드 구현은 단일 실패 지점이자 중앙 통제점이 될 수 있음. Amaru는 네트워크 복원력 강화와 다양한 로드맵 및 사용 사례 제공에 기여함.

Amaru는 Cardano의 보안과 견고성을 유지하면서 Rust의 정적 타입과 메모리 관리 강점을 활용해 고신뢰 블록체인 솔루션 구현에 적합함[원문].

Amaru 프로젝트는 Cardano 블록체인용 모듈형 고성능 노드 개발을 목표로 하는 진행 중인 프로젝트임.
2025년 하반기 개발을 위해 추가로 ₳1.5M(1,500,000 ADA)의 자금 지원을 요청하고 있음.
전체 2025년 예상 인력 투입량은 6 FTE(Full Time Employee)이며, 이미 확보된 자원과 필요한 자원을 구분해 상세히 명시함.
주요 개발 범위와 인력 배분은 다음과 같음:
- Ledger: 2.5 FTE 중 1 FTE 확보, 1.5 FTE 추가 필요
- Consensus and simulation: 2.5 FTE 중 1 FTE 확보, 1.5 FTE 추가 필요
- Networking: 1 FTE 확보 완료, 추가 필요 없음
- Ad-hoc Mercenaries: 2.5 FTE 전부 추가 필요
- Project Management, PR & Marketing: 0.5 FTE 추가 필요

2025년 하반기 예산은 $600,000(USD)이며, 25% 비상 예산을 포함해 $750,000로 책정함.
ADA-USD 환율 0.5를 적용해 ₳1.5M으로 환산했음.

예산 관리는 Amaru 유지관리 위원회가 직접 담당하며, 온체인 스마트 계약을 통해 투명하게 집행됨.
스마트 계약은 자금 인출, 비상 자금 사용, 소유권 변경, 잔여금 반환, 자격 증명 갱신, 비상 상황 대응 등 다양한 기능을 포함함.

프로젝트 진행 상황은 분기별 보고서와 4~6주 주기의 정기 데모를 통해 공개되고 있음.
분기별 보고서에는 문제점, 프로젝트 상태, 변경 내역, 향후 계획, 성과 등이 포함됨.

제안서는 Cardano 헌법과 규정을 준수하며, 예산 규모와 기간이 네트-체인지 한도 내에 있음.
감사자 지정과 PRAGMA 법적 프레임워크에 따른 기금 관리 체계도 명확히 규정되어 있음.

Amaru 프로젝트는 Cardano의 노드 다양성 확대와 보안, 분산화, 지속 가능성 강화를 목표로 하며,
개방성과 혁신, 운영 탄력성을 기반으로 블록체인 기술 발전에 기여하고자 함.

---

**주석**
- FTE: Full Time Employee, 전일제 근무자 한 명의 연간 근무량 단위
- ADA: Cardano 블록체인의 기본 토큰 단위, 여기서는 ₳로 표기
- PRAGMA: Amaru 프로젝트 관련 법적 및 운영 프레임워크 제공 조직
- 네트-체인지 한도(Net-Change Limit): Cardano 헌법에 명시된 예산 변경 한도

[Amaru](https://github.com/pragma-org/amaru) is an open-source project implementing a new fully interoperable block-producing node for Cardano. It aims to improve the network's overall accessibility and robustness without compromising its safety and security.

[Amaru](https://github.com/pragma-org/amaru) provides another perspective and solution for stake pool operators and developers alike, prioritizing a modular approach, a seamless user experience, and low hardware requirements. Additionally, the project is implemented mainly in Rust, which is well-equipped for high assurance to attract new contributors to the core maintenance of the ecosystem.

## Who we are

[Amaru](https://github.com/pragma-org/amaru) is a multi-entity effort that currently sits under [PRAGMA](https://pragma.io): a member-based, not-for-profit open-source association for blockchain software projects. Five members with equal power currently drive PRAGMA's strategy and operations: Blink Labs, Cardano Foundation, dcSpark, Sundae Labs, and TxPipe. Each of them has a proven track record of building on Cardano and supporting our ecosystem.

[Amaru](https://github.com/pragma-org/amaru) itself is managed by an appointed maintainer committee in charge of different scopes. The current maintainer committee comprises of:

- [Arnaud Bailly](https://github.com/abailly) responsible for the consensus and simulation testing.
- [Matthias Benkort](https://github.com/ktorz) responsible for the ledger & overall architecture.
- [Pi Lanningham](https://github.com/Quantumplation) responsible for the ad hoc work and middleware integrations.
- [Santiago Carmuega](https://github.com/scarmuega) responsible for the p2p networking.
- [Damien Czapla](https://github.com/Dam-CZ) responsible for the project management, public relations & marketing.

Each member of the maintainer committee is in charge of a scope and has oversight on its delivery, which includes managing an associated budget.

## Why build another node

One of Cardano's key assets is its legendary robustness and stability, which is mainly attributed to the existing Haskell node, which has been working without significant disruption for about five years now (counting since the Byron reboot, circa February 2020).

So why bother with another node? The answer is, of course, plural:

#### 1. **Better resource usage**

Software is ultimately a collection of design decisions and trade-offs. Some of those trade-offs in the Haskell node have led to rather high resource usages (e.g., resident memory), thus leading to the creation of specific protocol parameters (e.g., min-utxo-value) as countermeasures to ensure resource usage remains somewhat bounded. Our analysis is that different (albeit acceptable) trade-offs would yield better resource usage.

#### 2. **Industry-grade observability**

Observability is challenging, and it is even more so when rolling your own solution. With [Amaru](https://github.com/pragma-org/amaru), we intend to embrace industry standards for monitoring, tracing, and logging to drastically enhance the user experience for operators seeking insights into their node's behaviour.

#### 3. **Enhanced interoperability**

[Amaru](https://github.com/pragma-org/amaru) being primarily written in Rust means that we can more easily leverage an existing and thriving ecosystem of blockchain solutions and aim at multiple target platforms (e.g. web-assembly, RISC-V). This opens up not only to a wide variety of potential contributors but also to many new use cases that are much harder (not to say unrealistic) to achieve with a Haskell node.

#### 4. **Higher-assurance & robustness**

Developing a new implementation of existing software means dissecting every part of the original implementation. Along the way, bugs and discrepancies with the specification are commonly found through conformance testing. Gaps in the documentation can also be identified and addressed. The development of [Amaru](https://github.com/pragma-org/amaru) has already proven this on several occasions. In the long run, more node implementations can be a synonym for reduced development time by allowing all implementations to converge faster towards better designs and more robust implementations.

#### 5. **Decentralization**

In a world where Byzantine fault tolerance is at the centre and where decentralization is a paramount value, we believe that a single-node implementation presents a single point of failure and a central point of control. A new node not only increases the overall resilience of the network but also provides perspectives in terms of a roadmap and use cases.

---

With [Amaru](https://github.com/pragma-org/amaru), we believe that we can reconcile these goals while preserving Cardano's focus on security and robustness. Like Haskell, Rust is a statically typed language that provides strong compile-time guarantees and fine-grained memory management. Its ecosystem is also well-equipped for high assurance, making it a sane choice for implementing blockchain solutions.

## Executive summary

> **NOTE**
>
> All the scopes described are estimated in FTE (Full Time Employee) valued at $200k per annum.

[Amaru](https://github.com/pragma-org/amaru) is an ongoing project that is already a few months old, and resources have initially been allocated to bootstrap its development. Given the core nature of [Amaru](https://github.com/pragma-org/amaru) and in order to avoid becoming financially dependent on a single entity for its development, we are seeking **₳1.5M** of additional funding for the **second half of 2025**.

The table below breaks down the current/estimated effort, the fraction of resources already secured from other sources of funding, and the resources needed. It covers the whole of 2025.

| Scope | Owner | Estimated effort | Resources already secured | Resources needed |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ledger | Matthias | 2.5 FTEs | 1 FTE | 1.5 FTEs |
| Consensus and simulation | Arnaud | 2.5 FTEs | 1 FTE | 1.5 FTEs |
| Networking | Santiago | 1 FTE | 1 FTE | 0 FTEs |
| Ad-hoc Mercenaries | Pi | 2.5 FTEs | 0 FTEs | 2.5 FTEs |
| Project Management, Public Relations & Marketing | Damien | 0.5 FTEs | 0 FTEs | 0.5 FTEs |

The total resources without funding for 2025 adds up to **6 FTEs**. Considering this budget ask is only for **the second half of 2025**, it halves to `$600,000` (600K) once converted to USD (`$`). We then add a 25% contingency budget to cope with our optimistic bias: we are aware that our forecast is subject to underestimating complexity, overlooking challenges, and undervaluing the time and cost required to deliver.

With this contingency, we end up at **`$750,000` (750K)**. Finally, using a conservative conversion rate of 0.5 ADA (`₳`) per USD (`$`) at the date of the withdrawal, we formulate a budget of **`₳1,500,000` (1.5M)**.

> **NOTE**
>
> The Networking scope described in our [design documentation](https://github.com/pragma-org/amaru/blob/main/engineering-decision-records/006-design-phase-documentation.md) is included in our proposal for reference but is already covered by a [Catalyst proposal](https://projectcatalyst.io/funds/12/cardano-open-developers/amaru-p2p-networking-component-by-txpipe). It is fully managed by Santiago.

## Administration of the budget

The [Amaru](https://github.com/pragma-org/amaru) maintainer committee will ensure **direct administration** of the budget, assisted with **an on-chain smart contract** (developed in open source, still incomplete, but aimed to be done and fully audited by the time of the first withdrawal).

The fund management, responsibilities and remuneration of contributors will follow PRAGMA's legal framework provided in annex under [PRAGMA Maintainer Committee Framework](https://ipfs.io/ipfs/bafkreiabxyva5lfm6zztg7tnktxvvbbucljrce7hlrp4p6hropqzfaip3y).

In addition, the smart contract's role is to ensure that the expenditure of funds is done in accordance with the scope defined in this budget and authorized by the relevant scope owners.

We recognize the following capabilities of this contract:

1. **Standard withdrawal**: A scope owner asks other scope owners for money to be withdrawn from his scope.
2. **Contingency withdrawal**: A scope owner asks other scope owners to withdraw an amount from the contingency funds.
3. **Scope reconciliation**: A scope owner asks other scope owners for a change of ownership (or a reallocation of budget).
4. **Contingency refund/closing**: scope owners ask to send the leftovers from the contingency budget to be sent back to the Cardano treasury.
5. **Credential rotation**: In case of lost credentials or the departure of a scope owner, a mechanism allows the rotation of credentials to a new scope owner upon approval by all (5 out of 5) PRAGMA members (effectively capturing PRAGMA's board decision to appoint new maintainers).
6. **Failsafe**: In the extreme scenario where credentials would be irremediably lost, thus preventing any further decision, a failsafe mechanism allows all unconsumed funds to be sent back to the Cardano treasury.

## Reporting

#### Quarterly reports

Following [PRAGMA's Decision Record 006](https://github.com/pragma-org/PDRs/tree/main/PDR-0006-Project-Reporting), progress on [Amaru](https://github.com/pragma-org/amaru) shall be **at least reported quarterly**. The content of [these reports](https://pragma.io/projects/amaru#quarterly-reports) is straightforward and includes the following:

- Problems that require board attention (infrastructure, trademarks, etc.)
- Project status (active, inactive, initiating, etc.)
- A changelog (last committer addition)
- Next planned steps (new releases, significant changes, etc.)
- Reflection & Performances

This recurrent interaction will provide an overview of the project with a long-term perspective and support the maintainers' committee in aligning priorities and identifying the next steps. The outcome of these reviews will be publicly available as documentation in [Amaru](https://github.com/pragma-org/amaru)'s GitHub repository.

#### Regular demos

Amaru is demo-driven. We strive to integrate early and provide runnable examples showcasing the latest features as the project is being developed. The cadence for these demos is around 4 to 6 weeks, as illustrated on the [existing track record](https://pragma.io/projects/amaru#demos).

We will naturally continue to **record and post demos regularly**.

## Constitutionality checklist

Being one of the first proposals of this nature ever submitted, it is easy to get things wrong. In an effort to convince ourselves of its constitutionality, we thought relevant to include a checklist of the points we cover and for each, our interpretation of the Cardano Constitution.

#### Purpose

- [x] This proposal is for work intended to enhance the security, decentralization and long-term sustainability of Cardano.

#### Article III.5: the process of on-chain governance

- [x] We have submitted this proposal in a standardized, legible format, which includes a URL and hash of all documented off-chain content. We believe our rationale to be detailed and sufficient. The proposal contains a title, abstract, reason for the proposal and relevant supporting materials.

#### Article IV.1: proposing budgets

- [x] This proposal accords with the provisions of this article as it is intended to cover the maintenance and future development of the Cardano Blockchain.

- [x] This proposal covers a shorter period than 73 epochs, which is permitted in this section of the Constitution, to match the Net-Change Limit period.

#### Article IV.2: funds administration

- [x] This proposal specifies an administrator in accordance with this provision. It also specifies an internal administration process using smart contracts and an off-chain overseeing committee, meeting the requirements of this clause, which requires a process that may include an administrator.

#### Article IV.3: Net-Change Limit

- [x] Being of ₳1.5M and covering the second half of 2025, this proposal and the treasury withdrawals it would enable do not violate the currently agreed upon Net-Change Limit.

#### Article IV.4: Auditor

- [x] This proposal makes provisions for an auditor (covered by the _Ad-hoc mercenaries_ scope).

#### Guardrails

- [x] This proposal is subject to _TREASURY-04a_ in that it defines a Cardano blockchain ecosystem budget. It requires a threshold greater than 50% of the DReps' active voting stake to be considered approved and enable subsequent withdrawals pertaining to this budget.

# Conclusion

The [Amaru](https://github.com/pragma-org/amaru) project represents a major step towards node diversity through the development of a modular, high-performance, and interoperable block-producing node for Cardano. Our approach, rooted in openness, innovation, and operational resilience, aims to deliver significant advancements in blockchain technology without compromising on security.

In addition to this budget, we provide a detailed document outlining:

- explicit assumptions about the project, the valuation and the scopes covered;
- comparisons to similar projects of developing blockchain nodes; and
- the methodology used for managing the project, its deliveries, its finance and its governance.

Through rigorous design and execution phases, we have outlined actionable scopes, realistic timelines, and comprehensive resource allocations. The detailed breakdown of scopes, funding and resources already secured reflects our commitment to transparency and efficiency. While we remain optimistic about our forecasts, we acknowledge the complexities involved and have incorporated contingencies to address unforeseen challenges.

More than a mere budget, this proposal is an invitation to collaborate and innovate together. The [Amaru](https://github.com/pragma-org/amaru) project is ambitious yet achievable through the collective effort of our contributors and the broader Cardano community. By focusing on building, learning, and demonstrating tangible progress, [Amaru](https://github.com/pragma-org/amaru) paves the way for a more resilient and decentralized Cardano ecosystem, ensuring long-term reliability and innovation.

Let's build the future of Cardano together.