Ethereum aims for the optimum – As fees have reached unprecedented levels , it is high time for Ethereum to find solutions. In order to make optimal use of the months before the deployment of Ethereum 2.0, the Ethereum Foundation unveils a new testnet: Spadina.
Spadina, the lightning testnet
A little over a month after the deployment of the Medalla testnet , focused on the multiclient aspect, a new testnet was born. Thus, the Ethereum foundation has just announced Spadina , a new lightning testnet . Éclair , because it will only be online for an extremely short period of 3 days .
Its objective is to test the preliminary phases of the final launch, namely the creation of the genesis block (first block of the ETH 2.0 chain), as well as the deposits . As developer Danny Ryan explained in the official Ethereum Foundation announcement :
“The main goal is to give all of us another chance to go through one of the more difficult and risky parts of the process – the deposits and genesis – before we can launch the Mainnet. “
This should see the light of day later this month, and will have configurations similar to those of the mainnet .
Genesis block and deposits
These two aspects are essential for the deployment of Ethereum 2.0. Indeed, these are the first two phases through which the network must go for its launch .
In practice, before the beacon chain (major element of phase 0 of Ethereum 2.0) can start and create its first block (genesis block or genesis block ), at least 16,384 validators must have deposited more than 524,000 ETH .
As a reminder, the beacon chain is the chain that acts as the backbone for Ethereum 2.0. It is this which ensures that all shards (set of subnets) are synchronized and up to date.
As a result, the deposits and the genesis block are intimately linked in the launch of the chain. This is why the developers of Ethereum 2.0 want to offer a second chance to users to test and take part in this complex mechanism.
“We realize that engineers and the community could use one more public testnet launch ahead of the mainnet to review the different phases. At the same time, we want to avoid disrupting Medalla’s momentum. – Danny Ryan
The Ethereum Foundation wants to put all the odds in its favor before “embarking on the real adventure later in the year” or early next year, if Ethereum 2.0 were to be pushed back once again.