According to U.Today, the proof-of-stake (PoS) smart contract platform Cardano (ADA) has reached a significant milestone in its operational history. The blockchain network has successfully completed 500 epochs without experiencing any network outages. Jaromír Tesař, a blockchain expert and long-term Cardano ambassador, highlighted this achievement and noted that each epoch lasts approximately five days. 

This means that Cardano has been running uninterrupted for over 2,500 days, a feat that has been celebrated by its community members. However, some skeptics have criticized the blockchain for its low on-chain activity and the underwhelming price performance of its native cryptocurrency, ADA. In contrast, other major blockchains like Solana (SOL) and Avalanche (AVAX) have faced periodic network outages in recent years. Solana experienced a five-hour downtime in April 2024, while Avalanche halted block production for an hour in February 2024. Both networks had to implement emergency fixes to their codebases to address these issues. Meanwhile, Cardano's total value locked (TVL) in decentralized finance (DeFi) has seen fluctuations. 

After peaking at nearly $500 million in mid-March 2024, the TVL dropped to $222 million. However, it has shown signs of recovery, adding almost 15% compared to its many-month low recorded four weeks ago. The Minswap, Indigo, and Liqwid protocols collectively account for 50% of Cardano's aggregated TVL. 

Despite these developments, the price of Cardano's native token, ADA, has declined by 50% since mid-March. As of the latest data, ADA is trading at $0.38, reflecting a 3.4% decrease in the last 24 hours.