• The Ethereum network has successfully completed the second testnet, i.e., the Sepolia testnet, in preparation for the upcoming Shanghai upgrade.
• This brings that much-awaited Shanghai upgrade one step closer, which would mark the network’s complete transition to a fully functional proof-of-stake mechanism.
• The third and final testnet, i.e., the Goerli testnet, is scheduled just before Shanghai goes live on the mainnet.
The Ethereum Network Upgrades
The Ethereum network is currently undergoing a series of upgrades in order to improve its overall functionality and scalability. One such major update is the ‚Shanghai/Capella‘ upgrade or ‚Shapella‘ upgrade which will mark the complete transition of the network from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS). In preparation for this update, two successful testnets have been conducted with another one scheduled for later this month.
Sepolia Testnet Successfully Triggered
In order to prepare for this update and ensure its successful deployment on the mainnet, two testnets were conducted – Zhejiang and Sepolia – both of which have been completed successfully. The most recent one being Sepolia, which was triggered on February 21st and allowed validators to withdraw their staked ETH back to the execution layer after it had been processed by Sepolia successfully. This brings that much awaited Shanghai upgrade a step closer as it will enable users to withdraw staking rewards from their staked ETH when deployed on mainnet.
Testing Schedules Affected
The Zhejiang test revealed some minor bugs but these issues have since then been addressed by developers who have clarified that these errors won’t affect the deployment date on mainnet either way. Following up with its success was another closed testing round – Sepolia – wherein only core developers had access; however it managed to replicate withdrawals of staked ether successfully as well thereby giving developers a better run through of what is expected once deployed on main chain. The third and final test net – Goerli – is set for later this month just before Shanghai goes live on mainchain itself; however there is possibility of extending dates due to three week gap between Zheijiang and Sepolia tests already taken place.
Expectations
This development has left many expecting positive results in terms of native crypto ETH once deployed completely; as it would mean more stability with regards to transaction costs alongwith improved scalability thanks to sharding tech also included in Shapella upgrade package..
Conclusion
While all eyes are set upon Goerli Test waiting eagerly for Shapella upgrade’s deployment onto Mainet itself ,the other two tests -Zhejiang nd Seopilia have passed with flying colors thus making sure everything works perfectly fine before taking big leap forward towards full PoS protocol transition .