Key Information:
- Ethereum is retiring the Holesky testnet, originally launched two years ago, after the upcoming Fusaka upgrade.
- Once the largest public testnet, Holesky will be replaced due to issues like validator inactivity, which were notable in its latter stages.
- The new Hoodi testnet has been introduced to tackle these issues, while the existing Sepolia and Ephemery testnets will continue to operate for specific testing functions.
Holesky’s discontinuation will take effect shortly after the Fusaka upgrade’s completion this year, at which point support will cease. The Fusaka upgrade is intended to improve the efficiency and affordability of Ethereum rollups by more evenly distributing the data storage workload among validators.
Holesky, launched in 2023, was designed to test Ethereum’s proof-of-stake capabilities at scale and was vital for running major updates like Dencun and Pectra. However, it faced significant obstacles such as backlog delays and validator drop-offs, limiting its effectiveness for real-time testing.
Ethereum has already introduced Hoodi as a fresh platform to alleviate the issues faced by Holesky, intended for validator and staking environment testing. Meanwhile, Sepolia will remain the main testing ground for decentralized applications (dapps) and smart contracts, with Ephemery continuing periodic validator cycles every 28 days.
As of Tuesday morning in Asia, Ether (ETH) was trading at approximately $4,380, marginally unchanged over the previous 24 hours.
