Ripple CTO David Schwartz Opens XRPL Hub to Public, Advocates for Evidence-Based Protocol Development

Ripple's Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz, has made a significant move towards transparency by publicly releasing the operational data of his long-running XRPL Hub for the first time. Previously an internal resource, the hub is now fully accessible, providing the community with detailed uptime records, peer connection information, traffic charts, and latency stability metrics.

Schwartz disclosed that the node has been operating on version 2.6.2 for over a month without a single issue. He shared the hostname (hub.distributedagreement.com), port (51235), and public key, inviting other XRP Ledger (XRPL) node operators to connect directly. The provided charts illustrate peer counts, traffic load, and disconnection metrics, revealing the hub is currently operating below its capacity, negating the need for peer reservations.

The release coincides with renewed community discussions about XRPL programmability and potential upgrades. In follow-up comments, Schwartz pushed back against proposals to add features primarily to enable validators to earn more revenue, stating such a rationale "does not align with how the XRP Ledger was designed." While acknowledging the appeal of letting XRP holders earn yield, he argued that alone is insufficient justification for major system redesigns.

Schwartz emphasized that the XRPL's existing financial tools should be leveraged for broader real-world applications beyond quick payouts. He cautioned that integrating complex smart-contract systems carries significant risks, requiring extensive engineering and potentially introducing unpredictable outcomes. He noted that even well-executed features, like the Automated Market Maker (AMM) upgrade, do not guarantee high adoption, stressing that any new functionality must demonstrate clear evidence of driving real demand before the ecosystem commits to permanent changes.

This transparency initiative follows a period of strong performance for XRP. The token closed the third quarter at a new all-time high of $2.85, marking a 27.2% quarterly gain. Its circulating market cap surged 29% to $170.3 billion, outpacing the combined 13.3% growth of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana during the same period.