Cardano Connect (CNS), a decentralized identity service and social media platform for the Cardano ecosystem, has launched a demo on Cardano’s pre-production test network. This first step allows early users to test the product’s capabilities and identify improvement areas.
Cardano Connect has created a token, the CNS NFT, that allows Cardano users to create a customized .ada domain linked to a wallet address. The domain name is then used instead of the typical long and complicated wallet address, making it easier to remember and manage.
The CNS token also links social network accounts to the .ada domain. Users can create a decentralized profile to network with other Cardano users. This places Cardano at the forefront of decentralized domain services.
The pre-production network also allows users to try using CNS using test-ADA, a testnet version of Cardano’s native ADA cryptocurrency, which can be requested for free using the Cardano Testnets faucet.
Once the testnet rollout has been completed, the next major milestone will be CNS’ full product launch on the main Cardano blockchain network.
Here is a comprehensive “How-to” guide for joining the CNS test network using desktop Yoroi Nightly.
Yoroi Nightly is a special version of the open-source Cardano wallet Yoroi, designed for testnet participation.
Related reading:
Step 1: Add Yoroi Nightly as a PC web browser extension. Yoroi Nightly is a wallet that can connect to the various test networks of Cardano.
To add this extension to the Google Chrome browser, visit the Chrome Web Store here.
Once installed, it should appear in the top right corner of the browser window.
Step 2: Before proceeding further, temporarily disable the standard Yoroi Wallet extension in the Chrome browser so that there is no interference in operation when using the Yoroi Nightly wallet.
Visit the Chrome browser extensions tab by clicking “Settings,” or visit chrome://extensions/ in the URL bar. Then, click the following radio buttons:
Step 3: Next, create a new wallet and select the “Cardano Preprod Testnet” network for this address.
To ensure the testnet network has launched, double-check the wallet address. Look for the words “test1” as part of the characters, differentiating it from a mainnet wallet. It should look like so:
Addr_test1qpr03cmk0kvmuhkktlatg2kx8a60fel3yqmu6w5c7asu6zd38337qtrhxehmrav4puxemlug0vnlufw3kt03hhnkwgkqxrjlvk
Step 4: Request “test-ADA” for the pre-production testnet wallet from the Cardano faucet at the following address:
https://docs.cardano.org/cardano-testnet/tools/faucet/
Once there, select “Preprod Testnet” and paste the Yoroi Nightly wallet address:
This will send some test-ADA to the Yoroi Nightly wallet address provided which can then be used to mint a test CNS token.
After receiving some test-ADA in the Yoroi Nightly wallet, go to the testnet version of the Cardano Connect website at https://develop.cns.space.
This version of CNS connects to the Cardano pre-production network.
Connect the Yoroi Nightly wallet by clicking on the button at the top right.
Once there, choose Yoroi from the list of provided wallets and check both of the disclaimer boxes at the top.
Please note, that if this is the first time using a testnet wallet, collateral may be needed to be added at this time. No worries! CNS will prompt if this is the case. Please sign the transaction and proceed.
Now, a Yoroi logo plus the test-ADA balance is displayed.
Again, that is only test-ADA connected to Yoroi Nightly using the pre-production network. This has no monetary value and transactions conducted here are not valid on the actual main Cardano network.
Next, use the search bar and look for a desired .ada extension name for the CNS domain which will act as the decentralized identity on the Cardano Connect Testnet.
This will look for the words to mint as a .ada extension domain. If it’s available, it’ll allow the user to mint it as an NFT that will show in their wallet. If the name is available, it will look like the following:
Again, since this is a test network, the term duration of the name does not matter. Increase it and see how this impacts the ADA price of the domain name. Click on “Sign” to begin the buying process. This will request the user to input a password, as with any Cardano transaction.
The CNS domains can be seen in the NFT gallery on Yoroi Nightly. The test will be a major source of information for the team behind Cardano Connect. It’ll also allow those in the Cardano community a chance to familiarize themselves with the process ahead of the official launch.
These CNS tokens are not on the main Cardano network. The names used in this test are not meant to migrate when the full launch of the platform is finalized.
Once a CNS is minted, a user can input their profile information at https://develop-web3card.cns.space/.
First, the testnet wallet address listed on the profile is the same as the one used to mint the CNS.
Next, fill in all the social information for the CNS Testnet Social Profile. These links will be associated with the user’s CNS Testnet extension and become their decentralized Cardano Connect profile. As this is a testnet version, neither the CNS addresses, domains, or profiles are permanent nor usable on the Cardano mainnet; however, this process can be recreated on the Cardano mainnet to secure a decentralized profile once CNS launches on the mainnet.
For more information about this event, please visit the Cardano Connect Announcement Tweet on X.
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