Ethereum Ropsten Testnet Successfully Merged to Proof-of-stake

Ethereum’s oldest testnet, Ropsten, was merged today, with minor software releases to be expected over the next few days

article-image

blockworks exclusive art by axel rangel

share

key takeaways

  • Two more public testnet merges will be executed before the mainnet
  • Mainnet is expected to be live later this year

Ethereum has largely passed its next significant step in migrating the blockchain from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake — minus a couple of hiccups. 

The Ropsten Merge, the latest in a series of test runs before the protocol’s mainet undergoes the transition later this year, missed a couple of validating block proposals along the way. Ropsten, Ethereum’s first test network, has been live since November 2016. Over the next few days, minor software releases addressing kinks are expected. 

Loading Tweet..

Two more public testnet merges on the Ethereum Goelri and Sepolia networks are scheduled to be executed before the mainnet merge. 

Simon Furlong, chief operating officer at Geode Finance, told Blockworks the latest test brings Ethereum “one step closer” to a successful merge. 

“The successful merge is a big confidence boost for the wider Ethereum community and shows that the ETH core devs are on track to successfully transition later this year,” Furlong said. 

The network is notorious for a high volume of transactions that snarls block execution traffic, resulting in pricey gas fees (payments that power trading activity). 

The Ethereum blockchain can now only process just three to 15 transactions per second. Competitor Solana can process 65,000 transactions per second, with almost zero fees — though it has faced its share of criticism in recent months for repeated network outages

By moving from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, Ethereum’s energy consumption is estimated to be reduced by 99.95%.

In a livestream hosted by EthStaker, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin reminded users that, even if the testnet were to run successfully for a few hours, the network would not be in the clear because of the risks that remain — including issues such as “MEV, staking, centralization and protection against DoS attacks that could bite us three weeks after the merge.”

It’s also important to note that the Ropsten Merge is part of the consensus layer (previously Eth2) change which handles proof-of-stake consensus, not to be confused with the execution layer (previously Eth1), which includes transactions and executions, meaning transaction time and gas fees will remain the same.

Ether has traded lower after the test merge, “showing the lack of awareness of the implications a successful merge will have for Ethereum as an asset,” Furlong said.


Start your day with top crypto insights from David Canellis and Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter.

Explore the growing intersection between crypto, macroeconomics, policy and finance with Ben Strack, Casey Wagner and Felix Jauvin. Subscribe to the Forward Guidance newsletter.

Get alpha directly in your inbox with the 0xResearch newsletter — market highlights, charts, degen trade ideas, governance updates, and more.

The Lightspeed newsletter is all things Solana, in your inbox, every day. Subscribe to daily Solana news from Jack Kubinec and Jeff Albus.

Tags

Upcoming Events

Salt Lake City, UT

MON - TUES, OCT. 7 - 8, 2024

Blockworks and Bankless in collaboration with buidlbox are excited to announce the second installment of the Permissionless Hackathon – taking place October 7-8 in Salt Lake City, Utah. We’ve partnered with buidlbox to bring together the brightest minds in crypto for […]

Salt Lake City, UT

WED - FRI, OCTOBER 9 - 11, 2024

Permissionless is a conference for founders, application developers, and users. Come meet the next generation of people building and using crypto.

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 18 - 20, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

4.png

Research

This months PPGC covered four main areas. Firstly, debriefing the progress and status of the mainnet implementation of the Ahmedabad hard fork. Secondly, a retrospective on the testnet phase of the Ahemdabad Hard Fork. Thirdly, an update on PIP-36 which involves replaying failed state syncs. Lastly, PIP-47 which pushes upgrades to the Polygon Protocol Council.

article-image

Institutions to test out the settlement of “digital assets and currencies” on a network that annually carries more than 5 billion financial messages

article-image

After Bitwise’s XRP ETF filing this week, one industry watcher notes: “Politics will determine whether this happens soon or in a few years”

article-image

Plus, a look back at some of the SEC’s biggest enforcement moves under Gurbir Grewal

article-image

The forward-looking financial system is being championed by several contributors to India’s UPI digital money system

article-image

Multiple teams are pursuing integration cross-chain and off-chain

article-image

An SEC spokesperson told Blockworks the Ripple judgment clashes with Supreme Court precedent and securities laws