Layla Zulfa
Ethereum’s core development continues its relentless pursuit of scalability, security, and decentralization, as the network navigates the complex implementation of its next two significant upgrades: Glamsterdam and Hegotá. While the pace of innovation remains robust, the current development cycle for Glamsterdam is proving more intricate than recent predecessors, largely due to the foundational architectural changes required for enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation (ePBS). Concurrently, the community has coalesced around a major feature for Hegotá, FOCIL, with a strong commitment to advancing Account Abstraction, reflecting a holistic approach to enhancing the network’s capabilities and user experience.
A Deeper Dive into Glamsterdam: The Next Frontier
The Glamsterdam upgrade, Ethereum’s forthcoming hard fork, is currently undergoing intensive development, with core developers meticulously working through a suite of proposed Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs). The comprehensive list of features under consideration and those already scheduled for inclusion can be tracked on Forkcast, an essential resource for monitoring the evolution of the protocol. Features designated as "Scheduled for Inclusion" (SFI) are considered firm commitments for the upgrade, while "Considered for Inclusion" (CFI) EIPs are highly probable but subject to ongoing assessment of their implementation complexity and compatibility with other scheduled features. This tiered classification system, itself undergoing refinement, provides transparency into the development pipeline.
Central to Glamsterdam are several critical enhancements. A bundle of gas repricing EIPs (such as EIP-8007) is being prioritized, aimed at optimizing transaction costs by adjusting the gas expenditure for various operations to better reflect their actual computational resource consumption. This initiative seeks to improve network efficiency, reduce potential for spam, and ensure fair pricing. Additionally, EIP-7954, which proposes an increase to the maximum contract size, has garnered significant support from ecosystem developers. This change is crucial for facilitating the deployment of larger, more complex smart contracts, unlocking new possibilities for decentralized applications and protocols.
However, the most substantial and challenging component of Glamsterdam is undoubtedly the implementation of enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation (ePBS), outlined in EIP-7732. This monumental shift fundamentally alters the block production process by splitting the roles of block proposer and block builder within the consensus protocol. Currently, block building often occurs off-chain, leading to concerns about Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) centralization and potential censorship. By enshrining this separation, Ethereum aims to decentralize MEV extraction, enhance censorship resistance, and improve overall network fairness. The complexity stems from the need for every layer of the protocol stack to adapt to the concept of "partial blocks" and manage the intricate two-party coordination required, effectively touching nearly every facet of Ethereum’s architecture.
On the execution layer, EIP-7928, introducing Block-level Access Lists (BALs), represents a significant rethinking of how gas and state access mechanisms function. BALs are designed to improve the efficiency of state access and gas accounting, which are vital for optimizing throughput and reducing execution overhead. Development on BALs has been progressing steadily through dedicated devnets, addressing the expected challenges associated with such a fundamental change.
Developers are targeting the rollout of the first generalized Glamsterdam devnet in the near future, contingent upon the stabilization of the current ePBS-focused devnet. This will be followed by a series of iterative devnets, gradually incorporating more of the non-headliner features. Once a stable devnet featuring all intended EIPs is achieved, client releases will be cut, followed by rigorous security reviews and deployment to public testnets. Only after these testnets demonstrate stability will the highly anticipated mainnet fork date be officially announced. This methodical approach underscores the developers’ commitment to security and stability, even if it translates to a longer development timeline.
Charting the Future: The Hegotá Upgrade
Following Glamsterdam, the Hegotá upgrade is already taking shape, with its major features now selected. EIP-7805, known as FOCIL (Verifiable Delay Functions for Proposer Elections), has been chosen as the consensus layer’s headliner. FOCIL aims to further decentralize block production and enhance fairness by making the selection of block proposers more unpredictable and resistant to manipulation. This is achieved through the use of Verifiable Delay Functions, which introduce a time-lock mechanism, ensuring that proposers cannot be chosen significantly in advance, thereby reducing opportunities for strategic manipulation.
The execution layer’s feature selection for Hegotá involved a robust debate, particularly concerning Account Abstraction (AA) proposals. While a specific proposal, EIP-8141 (Frame transactions), did not achieve immediate consensus among client developers regarding its precise implementation, the community’s strong desire for AA led to a strategic decision: EIP-8141 has been moved to "Considered for Inclusion" (CFI) status as a non-headliner. This signifies a firm commitment to integrate an Account Abstraction solution into Hegotá, with ongoing efforts to refine a proposal that garners broader support across client teams and the wider community.
Account Abstraction is a long-anticipated feature that promises to revolutionize user experience on Ethereum. By allowing smart contracts to act as user accounts (rather than just Externally Owned Accounts or EOAs), AA would enable features such as native multi-signature wallets, social recovery mechanisms, gas payment in any token, batched transactions, and more flexible authentication schemes. This would significantly lower the barrier to entry for new users and empower developers to create more intuitive and secure decentralized applications. The commitment to AA, even without an immediate headliner EIP, highlights its strategic importance for Ethereum’s future adoption.
Beyond AA, there is a growing interest within the developer community in prioritizing quantum resistance, a forward-looking security measure aimed at protecting Ethereum’s cryptographic foundations against potential threats from quantum computers. While no standalone quantum resistance EIP has been adopted yet, its integration into broader proposals, particularly those related to Account Abstraction, is being actively explored.
The process for proposing non-headlining features for Hegotá commenced on April 9th, allowing anyone to submit an EIP for consideration by pulling it into the "Proposed for Inclusion" section of the upgrade’s meta EIP. The deadline for these submissions will be announced at least two weeks in advance, fostering an inclusive environment for community contributions. The most current information regarding Hegotá’s timeline and process can always be found on its dedicated Forkcast page. It is important to note that the ultimate release date for Hegotá will be highly dependent on the successful and timely progression of the Glamsterdam upgrade.
Optimizing Network Performance: Gas Limits and Repricing
A continuous effort within Ethereum’s development roadmap is the optimization of network capacity through increased gas limits. Testing for higher gas limits is consistently performed on various devnets, with a current baseline target of 60 million gas for Glamsterdam and subsequent upgrades. Developers are pushing these limits significantly higher in experimental devnets to thoroughly understand the implications and identify necessary optimizations for achieving even greater network throughput. Much of the gas repricing work being implemented in Glamsterdam is directly aimed at enabling these safely higher limits by ensuring that resource consumption is accurately reflected in transaction costs, preventing network congestion or denial-of-service attacks. The careful balancing act involves increasing transaction capacity without unduly burdening network nodes or compromising decentralization.
Empowering Community Contributions: The EIP Champion’s Handbook
Recognizing the vital role of community input in Ethereum’s decentralized development model, the Protocol Support team has published new resources to guide aspiring EIP champions. The EIP Champions Handbook, available on the team’s website, provides a comprehensive guide for authors and advocates looking to propose features and gather stakeholder feedback. This resource demystifies the complex process of getting an EIP from conception to inclusion in an Ethereum upgrade, fostering greater participation and streamlining the path for innovative ideas to reach fruition. It empowers individuals and teams to contribute meaningfully to the evolution of the protocol.
Strategic Vision and Development Pace: A Broader Perspective
The recent rapid succession of upgrades, such as Fusaka (a placeholder name for a potential fast-tracked upgrade) and Pectra, had initially fostered an expectation of accelerated development cycles. However, Glamsterdam’s current trajectory suggests a more deliberate pace. The profound architectural changes introduced by ePBS, requiring extensive coordination across the entire client ecosystem, necessitate a more cautious and thorough approach. Despite the slower pace, core developers remain resolute and undeterred by the challenges, emphasizing the foundational importance of these changes for Ethereum’s long-term health and decentralization.
The selection of a single headliner feature for Hegotá, coupled with the commitment to integrate Account Abstraction as a non-headliner, suggests a strategic prioritization. Depending on how efficiently the non-headliner EIP process unfolds and how quickly the community converges on an AA proposal, Hegotá could potentially follow Glamsterdam within a shorter timeframe than Glamsterdam follows its predecessors. The possibility also remains that a highly compelling Account Abstraction proposal could still be promoted to headliner status, reflecting its critical importance to the community and the broader ecosystem.
A significant development in guiding Ethereum’s strategic direction has been the re-emergence and increasing influence of the "strawmap," an unofficial, community-driven roadmap published earlier this year. While not a formal mandate, this strawmap has revitalized enthusiasm for a guiding framework, proving to be a beneficial tool in fostering consensus and aligning priorities among developers and the wider community during the upgrade selection process. It provides a high-level vision, helping to inform feature choices and ensure that individual EIPs contribute to a coherent long-term strategy for the network.
Conclusion and Outlook
Ethereum’s ongoing evolution, marked by the Glamsterdam and Hegotá upgrades, underscores a continuous commitment to innovation, even in the face of significant technical hurdles. The foundational changes introduced by ePBS and the strategic focus on enhancing user experience through Account Abstraction reflect a forward-looking approach to solidify Ethereum’s position as a robust and accessible decentralized platform. While the journey to mainnet for these upgrades requires careful coordination and rigorous testing, the methodical approach taken by core developers, coupled with transparent communication and active community engagement, reinforces confidence in Ethereum’s sustained progress. The coming months will be crucial as devnets stabilize, testnets launch, and the community continues to refine the features that will define the next chapters of Ethereum’s development.
Relevant ACD Calls:
[ January 21st – April 9th ]
ACDT: 76, 75, 74, 73, 72, 71, 70, 69, 68, 67
ACDC: 176, 175, 174, 173
ACDE: 234, 233, 232, 231, 230, 229
