2 - 3 minute read
Ethereum has taken a major step forward in its development with the release of devnet 2, a new developer network aimed at helping client teams prepare for the upcoming Shanghai upgrade. The release of devnet 2, which took place on January 11, is the latest in a series of developments that have been taking place in the Ethereum ecosystem in recent months, as developers work to improve the platform and introduce new features for users.
The Shanghai upgrade, which is set to take place in March, will introduce a number of new features to the Ethereum network, including the ability for users to withdraw coins that have been staked with validators. This feature is currently unavailable on the mainnet, but will be introduced as part of the Shanghai upgrade, enabling users to access their staked coins that were made temporarily inaccessible during the transition known as “The Merge” in September.
In preparation for the Shanghai upgrade, developers have also been working to conduct a shadow fork of the mainnet, which will take place in the next few weeks. A shadow fork is a test on a version of the actual mainnet to determine whether the code would work on the real blockchain. This test will add more complexity to the Shanghai testing, making it more akin to the final rollout in March, according to Marius Van Der Wijden, an Ethereum developer at the Geth client team.
Furthermore, the developer team is also considering a public test network for the Shanghai upgrade before the end of February, which would onboard staking firms to test the Shanghai upgrade. This would allow the developer to get a better understanding of how the upgrade will perform on the mainnet, and make any necessary adjustments before it is officially launched.
The release of devnet 2 and the upcoming shadow fork are just the latest examples of the work being done by Ethereum developers to improve the platform and introduce new features for users. The Shanghai upgrade, set to take place in March, promises to be a significant step forward for the Ethereum ecosystem and will enable users to access their staked coins that were made temporarily inaccessible during the transition known as “The Merge” in September. With the developer’s continuous effort to improve the platform, it’s an exciting time to be a part of the Ethereum community.
