Overview
Upstream is a Cardano stake pool explorer built and maintained by Upstream SPO Ltd, a UK-registered stake pool operator using the ticker UPSTR. The explorer provides a searchable directory of active Cardano stake pools, displaying key metrics such as fees, total stake, pledge, lifetime blocks produced, and delegator counts1. Users can compare pools side by side and delegate ADA directly through a connected wallet without leaving the site.
Beyond the explorer tool, Upstream operates as a broader community hub for Cardano in the United Kingdom. The organization runs the London Cardano Social meetup series through its Meetup group, hosts annual community-led summits, and produces educational content about staking and Cardano fundamentals. Upstream SPO Ltd is a registered UK company that reinvests all operator rewards back into infrastructure, operational costs, and community event programming2.
Key Features
- Searchable pool directory. The explorer lists active Cardano stake pools with sortable columns for fees, stake saturation, pledge, blocks minted, and delegator counts1.
- Direct wallet delegation. Users can connect a Cardano wallet and delegate to any listed pool without navigating to a separate application or service.
- Pool comparison tool. A built-in comparison feature allows side-by-side evaluation of multiple stake pools to support informed delegation decisions.
- Community event hub. Upstream maintains an events section covering Cardano meetups, governance workshops, and summit gatherings organized in London.
- DRep explorer. Upstream hosts a DRep directory page designed to help Cardano community members find delegated representatives whose values align with their own3.
What to Expect
The Upstream stake pool explorer presents a clean, table-based interface that loads pool data with daily or weekly random rotation options alongside saturation-based sorting. Each pool entry shows core delegation parameters at a glance, making it straightforward to scan for pools that match specific criteria such as low fees, high pledge, or small-pool support. The wallet connection flow uses the Cardano Connect plugin, supporting common browser-based wallets for on-site delegation. The interface is built on WordPress with a custom Cardano integration layer, so the experience is lightweight and accessible on both desktop and mobile browsers.
Upstream's infrastructure runs on bare metal servers with redundancy, multiple relay nodes, and continuous monitoring. The operator also contributes to the broader Cardano network by running a Mithril signer, a Blockfrost Icebreaker node, and maintaining pools across Preview, PreProd, and SanchoNet testnets2. For users interested in the London Cardano community, the site's events section provides a record of summits and workshops alongside links to the active Meetup group for scheduled gatherings.
