CIP Standards Overview: Complete Guide to Cardano Improvement Proposals

What Are Cardano CIP Standards?

If you've spent time in the Cardano ecosystem, you've likely seen references like "CIP-30," "CIP-1694," or "CIP-1852" in wallet documentation, developer forums, or GitHub discussions. But what exactly is a Cardano CIP standard, and why do they matter?

A Cardano Improvement Proposal (CIP) is a formalized design document that serves two distinct purposes in the ecosystem:

1. Interoperability Standards — Common interfaces that wallets, dApps, and tools agree upon so they work together seamlessly (like how USB-C lets any charger work with any laptop).
2. Protocol Change Proposals — Technical specifications for evolving the Cardano protocol itself (ledger rules, consensus parameters, governance mechanisms).

Think of CIPs as Cardano's equivalent to Bitcoin's BIPs or Ethereum's EIPs — but with a uniquely Cardano flavor: a rigorous, community-driven process governed by CIP-1 (the CIP Process), bi-weekly editor meetings, and a clear lifecycle from draft to Active standard.

Key Insight: Unlike some ecosystems where standards are dictated by a central foundation, Cardano's CIP process is deliberately decentralized. Editors facilitate; the community decides. A CIP only becomes "Active" when it's actually implemented and adopted — not just when it's approved on paper.

The CIP Process: From Idea to Active Standard

The journey of a CIP is deliberately structured to balance openness with technical rigor. CIP-1 (authored by Frederic Johnson, Sebastien Guillemot, Matthias Benkort, Duncan Coutts, Michael Peyton Jones, and Robert Phair) serves as the constitution for this process.

The Four-Stage Lifecycle

Note: Lifecycle flowchart diagram not yet created

Stage 1: Draft (Pull Request)

• Author opens a PR on cardano-foundation/CIPs with a CIP-? placeholder number
• Early discussions happen on Cardano Forum, Discord, or Telegram
• No formal review yet — this is the "shaping" phase

Stage 2: Editor Triage (Bi-weekly)

• CIP editors (currently Robert Phair, Ryan Williams, Thomas Vellekoop) meet every two weeks on Discord
• They assign a CIP number, categorize it, and check basic formatting
• This is a triage, not a technical review — editors ensure the proposal is ready for review

Stage 3: Community Review

• Deep technical discussion in the PR
• Relevant project maintainers invited (e.g., Plutus team for Plutus CIPs, Ledger team for Ledger CIPs)
• Authors must address concerns in the "Rationale" section
• Crucial: A CIP doesn't need everyone to agree it's a good idea — it needs to be technically sound

Stage 4: Merged as "Proposed"

• Once criteria are met, the CIP is merged with status Proposed
• This means: "The community agrees this is a well-specified, technically sound proposal"
• But: Proposed ≠ Implemented. This is where many misunderstandings happen.

The Path to "Active" — Where Reality Happens

Every CIP must define its own Path to Active with two subsections:

Only when acceptance criteria are met does an author (or editor) submit a PR to change status to Active. If a CIP is superseded or abandoned, it becomes Inactive (superseded by CIP-XXXX).

Vietnamese Context: In Vietnamese developer communities (Telegram groups, Facebook dev groups), CIPs are typically referred to by number — "CIP-30," "CIP-1694" — without translation. The term "CIP" itself is untranslated. This article uses the same convention.

CIP Categories Explained: A Functional Map for Developers

The official CIP registry uses categories like Meta, Wallets, Tokens, Metadata, Tools, Plutus, Ledger, Consensus, and Network. But for a developer trying to find relevant standards, these can feel abstract.

We've regrouped 100+ CIPs into 7 functional domains based on what they enable you to build:

1. Wallet & Identity Standards (8 CIPs)

Purpose: How wallets generate keys, sign messages, and identify users

Start here if: Building a wallet, integrating wallet connect, or handling user keys.

2. Token & Asset Standards (11 CIPs)

Purpose: Fungible tokens, NFTs, metadata, royalties, and asset identification

Start here if: Creating tokens, NFTs, marketplaces, or metadata tools.

3. Metadata & Registry Standards (7 CIPs)

Purpose: Registries, labels, and structured data formats

4. Plutus & Smart Contract Standards (25 CIPs — Largest Category)

Purpose: The Vasil/Conway era Plutus improvements that make smart contracts efficient

Start here if: Writing Plutus scripts, building DeFi, or optimizing script performance.

Original Analysis: The Vasil upgrade (CIP-31/32/33) was a watershed moment — it transformed Plutus from "possible but expensive" to "practical for production." Before Vasil, every datum read required spending and recreating a UTXO (1 operation per block). Reference inputs + inline datums + reference scripts removed this bottleneck entirely.

5. Ledger & Protocol Evolution (9 CIPs)

Purpose: Core protocol parameters, ledger rules, and versioning

6. Governance & Constitution (10 CIPs)

Purpose: On-chain governance (CIP-1694/Conway era), DReps, constitutional committee

Start here if: Building governance tools, DRep interfaces, or constitution explorers.

7. Network, Communication & Tools (13 CIPs)

Purpose: P2P, URIs, SPO operations, disaster recovery, developer tooling

Essential CIP Examples by Developer Role

Not every developer needs to read every CIP. Here's your role-based reading list:

🎯 Wallet Developers — Start With These 5

🎯 dApp Developers — Start With These 5

🎯 Plutus/Smart Contract Developers — Start With These 5

🎯 Stake Pool Operators — Start With These 4

🎯 Token/NFT Creators — Start With These 4

CIP Status Reality Check: What's Actually Used?

Here's where theory meets practice. As of August 2026, the CIP registry shows approximately:

The "Proposed ≠ Implemented" Trap

Critical Insight: A Proposed CIP means "the specification is sound and accepted by the community." It does not mean it's implemented, deployed, or usable.

Examples of long-standing Proposed CIPs (2+ years):

• CIP-4 (Wallet Checksums) — Proposed since 2020
• CIP-7 (Curve Pledge Benefit) — Proposed since 2020
• CIP-12 (SPO-Delegate Communication) — Proposed since 2020
• CIP-34 (Chain ID Registry) — Proposed since 2021
• CIP-52 (Audit Guidelines) — Proposed since 2022

Meanwhile, Active CIPs with real adoption:

• CIP-30: 8+ wallets (Nami, Eternl, Flint, Lace, Yoroi, etc.)
• CIP-31/32/33: Implemented in all major Plutus tools (Aiken, Plutarch, Helios, Lucid)
• CIP-25/27: Used by JPG Store, CNFT.io, Tokhun
• CIP-6/22/94: Standard for all registered stake pools
• CIP-1694: Live on mainnet since Conway hard fork (2024)

How to Check Real-World Support

• Wallets/DApps: cardano-caniuse.io — tracks CIP-30 extension support
• Plutus Tools: Check Aiken, Plutarch, Helios, Lucid, MeshJS changelogs
• SPO Tools: PoolTool, Koios, Cardano CLI support matrices

Vietnamese Dev Tip: Vietnamese wallet projects (if any emerge) should prioritize CIP-30 + CIP-1852/1854 implementation first — these are the foundation for any Cardano wallet.

How to Read and Contribute to CIPs

CIP Document Anatomy

Every CIP follows this structure (enforced by CIP-1):

---
CIP: 30
Title: Cardano dApp-Wallet Web Bridge
Category: Wallets
Status: Active
Authors: [...]
Implementors: [Begin, Eternl, Flint, ...]
Discussions: [PR links]
Created: 2021-04-29
License: CC-BY-4.0
---

## Abstract
~200 word summary of the problem and solution.

## Motivation: Why is this CIP necessary?
The problem statement, use cases, stakeholders.

## Specification
Technical detail — APIs, CDDL schemas, data types.
MUST be detailed enough for independent implementation.

## Rationale: How does this CIP achieve its goals?
Design decisions, alternatives considered, backward compatibility.

## Path to Active
### Acceptance Criteria
Observable metrics for becoming Active.
### Implementation Plan
Who builds what, timeline, hard-fork needs.

## Copyright
License declaration (CC-BY-4.0 or Apache-2.0).

Finding CIPs

• Official site: https://cips.cardano.org/ — searchable, categorized
• GitHub: https://github.com/cardano-foundation/CIPs — source of truth, PR discussions
• Adoption tracker: https://www.cardano-caniuse.io/ — wallet/dApp support matrix

Contributing to the CIP Process

1. Discuss first — Cardano Forum (CIPs category), Discord #cips, Telegram
2. Write a CPS (optional) — For complex problems, use CIP-9999 (Cardano Problem Statements)
3. Draft the CIP — Use the template
4. Open a PR — Title = CIP title, CIP number = ?
5. Champion it — Respond to reviews, update Rationale, engage editors
6. Find implementors — A CIP without implementors stays Proposed indefinitely

Vietnamese Terminology Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What's the difference between a CIP and a CPS?

A CIP (Cardano Improvement Proposal) proposes a solution — a standard or protocol change. A CPS (Cardano Problem Statement, CIP-9999) formally defines a problem without prescribing a solution. Complex CIPs often reference a CPS in their Motivation section.

2. Do I need to implement all CIPs?

No. Only implement CIPs relevant to your domain:

• Wallet dev → CIP-30, 1852, 1854, 8, 19
• dApp dev → CIP-30, 31, 32, 33, 20, 68
• Plutus dev → CIP-31, 32, 33, 35, 40, 69
• SPO → CIP-6, 22, 94
• Token creator → CIP-25, 27, 68

3. How do I know if a wallet supports a specific CIP?

Check cardano-caniuse.io — it tracks which wallets implement which CIP-30 extensions. For non-CIP-30 standards, check the wallet's GitHub or documentation.

4. Can a CIP be rejected after becoming Active?

Yes — it becomes Inactive (superseded by CIP-XXXX). Examples: CIP-17 (Delegation Portfolio) superseded by CIP-1852/1854; CIP-58 (Bitwise Primitives) superseded by CIP-121/122/123.

5. Are CIPs legally binding or mandatory?

No. CIPs are community-driven, advisory standards. However, ecosystem projects (wallets, dApps, indexers) that ignore relevant Active CIPs risk incompatibility. The Cardano Foundation recommends adoption but doesn't enforce it.

6. What's the relationship between CIP-1694 and governance?

CIP-1694 ("A First Step Towards On-Chain Decentralized Governance") is the foundational Conway-era governance framework. It introduces: DReps (Delegated Representatives), Constitutional Committee, governance actions, and on-chain voting. Subsequent CIPs (100, 108, 119, 120, 129, 136, 169, 179, 181, 190) specify metadata formats for each governance component.

7. How often are new CIPs created?

The repository has 790+ commits with new CIPs proposed several per month. Not all reach Active — many stall at Proposed awaiting implementors. Check the open PRs for current proposals.

8. Where can I discuss CIPs in Vietnamese?

• Telegram: Cardano Developers Vietnam, Cardano Việt Nam
• Facebook Groups: Cardano Developer Vietnam, Cardano Việt Nam Community
• Discord: Cardano Vietnam server (often has #dev-cips channel)
• Forum: forum.cardano.org (English, but Vietnamese speakers welcome)

Summary: Your CIP Learning Path

Further Reading

• Official CIP Site: https://cips.cardano.org/
• GitHub Repository: https://github.com/cardano-foundation/CIPs
• CIP Wiki (Reviewer Guides): https://github.com/cardano-foundation/CIPs/wiki
• Adoption Tracker: https://www.cardano-caniuse.io/
• Cardano Forum CIPs Category: https://forum.cardano.org/c/developers/cips/122