Hoodi Testnet to Complete Pectra Testing
Ethereum is set to release the Hoodi testnet on March 17 to complete the test phase of the Pectra upgrade. The upgrade will go live on the mainnet at least 30 days following successful Hoodi forks. This comes after the previous testnet releases on Holesky (Feb. 24) and Sepolia (March 5), with Ethereum developers continuing testing critical features. Hoodi will be dealing with testing validator exits to make sure there are no teething problems as stakers transition across.
Key Pectra Upgrade Features
The most significant feature of the Pectra upgrade is account abstraction (EIP-7702), which will allow users to pay for transaction fees in tokens like USD Coin (USDC) instead of ETH. In addition, staking improvements (EIP-7251) will increase the validator staking limit to 2048 ETH from the existing 32 ETH, making staking more efficient and scalable.
Other EIPs in Pectra
Besides EIP-7702 and EIP-7251, some additional Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) form the Pectra upgrade:
- EIP-7691: Assists in boosting transaction scaling and preventing network congestion.
- EIP-7623: Increases privacy through the ability of users to conceal some details of transactions.
- EIP-2537: Improves contract execution, reducing the price of gas and smart contracts speed.
- EIP-7549: Boosts interoperability between Ethereum Layer 2 networks.
- EIP-6780: Deprecates the “SELFDESTRUCT” opcode, improving contract security and reducing vulnerabilities.
- EIP-4844: Includes proto-danksharding, which reduces the cost and scalability of Ethereum Layer 2 solutions.
Mainnet Deployment Timeline
Assuming glitch-free testing on Hoodi, Ethereum developers are set to deploy Pectra on the mainnet in late April or early May. The upgrade will improve Ethereum’s efficiency, scalability, and user experience and lay the foundation for future optimizations. Glitch-free implementation of Pectra may pave the way for Ethereum’s future development milestones, including enhanced Layer 2 integration and reduced transaction fees for users.
