Ethereum's 'Dencun' Upgrade: Live on Second Testnet, One More to Go

• Ethereum's Major Upgrade Draws Closer with Successful Testnet Implementation
• Proto-danksharding's Impact on L2 Blockchains
• Dencun's Rollout on Testnets
• Low-stakes Environment for Protocol Changes
• Dencun Upgrade: A Significant Milestone for Ethereum

Ethereum's Major Upgrade Draws Closer with Successful Testnet Implementation

The most notable update to the Ethereum$2,315 -2.42% blockchain since early 2023 has successfully launched on the second of three test networks. This brings the highly-anticipated Dencun project, along with its pioneering feature - proto-danksharding, a step nearer to realization.

Proto-danksharding's Impact on L2 Blockchains

Proto-danksharding has been engineered to decrease the transaction costs for layer-2 blockchains, while also making data availability more cost-effective. This is achieved by introducing a novel compartmentalized space for data referred to as blobs. As the number of Layer-2 chains built on Ethereum is rapidly increasing, this update is recognized as a crucial part of the ecosystem's plan to support this growth.

Dencun's Rollout on Testnets

The Dencun upgrade was implemented on the Sepolia testnet on Thursday at 22:51 UTC (5:51PM ET) and concluded at 23:10 UTC. Sepolia is the second of three testnets to simulate the Dencun upgrade.

Earlier this month, Dencun was initiated on the Goerli testnet, but initially failed to finalize. The next phase will occur on Feb. 7, when Dencun will be launched on its last Ethereum testnet, Holesky. Upon successful completion, the developers will determine a date to activate Dencun on the main blockchain.

Low-stakes Environment for Protocol Changes

Testnets mimic a main blockchain, providing developers with an environment to make adjustments to the protocol or its decentralized applications without high risks.

Dencun Upgrade: A Significant Milestone for Ethereum

Originally scheduled for the last quarter of 2023, the Dencun upgrade will represent the most significant improvement to Ethereum since the Shapella update in March of the same year. The latter update enabled the withdrawals of staked ether (ETH).

Edited by Jonathan Stoker