The expected Goerli merge needs node operators to effect updates on their execution and consensus layers. Both of them have to be done in tandem with one another rather than one alone.
Careful Steps to Transition
With that, Ethereum’s mainnet has only one testnet to complete before it officially transitions into a Proof-of-Stake blockchain. Following countless testnet mergers and shadow forks, the long journey is getting to its last stage. Goerli is the last testnet merger with the Beacon network.
Ethereum’s transition journey to PoS started in December 2020. Launching the Beacon chain signaled Phase 0 of the process which had three phases. The current phase which is Phase 1 was initially scheduled to be concluded in 2021.
But as a result of multiple delays and incomplete work from developers, it is now expected in the third week of September. The last phase of the PoS transition is scheduled for the later part of 2023.
Lead developer at Ethereum, Tim Beiko, announced the details of Goerli transition on Twitter. He said Goerli testnet will be merged with Beacon Chain which is called Prater. The combined network will, however, retain the name Goerli after the merger.
The Goerli testnet merge will be done in two parts beginning on the 4th of August. It will start with the consensus layer’s Bellatrix upgrade. The upgrade will be set off by the 112260 epoch height.
Rounding Up the Merge
The proof-of-stake for the Ethereum network is carried out in epochs rather than blocks. One epoch is the equivalent of 32 blocks.
The upgrade’s second phase is christened Paris. It is the point where the execution layer gets transitioned from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake. This second phase is scheduled to be finalized between the 6th to the 12th of August.
Paris is set to get triggered by a terminal total difficulty of 10790000. Immediately the execution layer goes beyond the benchmark terminal total difficulty, a PoS validator will solely produce the next block.
Ethereum’s official statement mentioned that Goerli’s merger will be different from earlier testnet integrations. This is because node operators have to upgrade their execution and consensus layers together. The developers equally attached many client-side releases in support of the testnet Merge.
The coming last testnet merge will affect only testnet participants and node operators. ETH stakers and holders don’t have to effect any changes on their part. It will be the last rehearsal before the official merger of Ethereum’s mainnet with Beacon chain on the 19th of September.
But the date set for the final Merge might be changed depending on the result from Goerli testnet.
The proof-of-stake transition is the biggest upgrade for Ethereum since its beginning. The upgrade will improve its scalability by reducing transaction fees. Nevertheless, most of the features will be integrated when the final phase of transition is completed.