Ethereum Developers to Launch a New Test Network Called Hoodi
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Ethereum developers are set to introduce a new test network called Hoodi on March 17. This decision was made during an All Devs Call on Thursday. The developers believe that Hoodi will be a long-lasting testnet and will help in testing new upgrades before they are released on the main Ethereum blockchain.
The announcement comes after problems with recent Ethereum test networks, Holesky and Sepolia. These networks faced challenges during their recent updates, causing developers to rethink their testing strategy. Last week, Ethereum researchers also considered making a “shadow fork” of an important upgrade called Pectra. However, after discussions, they decided that launching Hood would be a better option.
Issues with Ethereum’s Holesky and Sepolia
Holesky, one of Ethereum’s key testnets, stopped working about two weeks ago due to a configuration bug. This happened when developers tried to activate the Pectra upgrade. Although Holesky was restored earlier this week, it still has many issues and cannot be used for all types of testing.
Sepolia, another Ethereum testnet, also experienced problems, making it clear that a more stable test network was needed. Since Holesky has a long queue of validator exits, researchers could not properly test how validators leave the network. Instead of writing new code to fix this problem, which could cause more bugs and delays, developers agreed that launching Hoodi was the best solution.
Purpose and Benefits of Hoodi
Hoodi will play an important role in testing the Pectra upgrade. Pectra is a major improvement that aims to make Ethereum faster, cheaper, and more efficient. One key feature of this upgrade is reducing transaction costs by increasing the number of “blob” transactions for Layer 2 networks. It will also increase staking limits and introduce account abstraction, which will make Ethereum wallets and smart contracts more powerful.
As it is, the Ethereum Foundation plans to invest heavily in Hoodi. The foundation wants to ensure that it has a validator count similar to the Ethereum mainnet, making it a reliable testing ground for future updates. Therefore, Hoodi will focus on validator exit testing, while Holesky and Sepolia will still be used for other research purposes. If everything goes as planned, Pectra could be activated on Ethereum’s mainnet by April 25, about 30 days after it is deployed on Hoodi.
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