Ethereum’s Prague/Electra Upgrade — What to Know About ‘Pectra’

The Prague/Electra upgrade, Pectra for short, is slated for late 2024 and set to be a transformative milestone for Ethereum. Here’s what to expect.

Key Takeaways:

• The Prague/Electra upgrade, Pectra for short, will introduce significant scalability improvements to Ethereum, including sharding technology and Layer-2 solutions like rollups.

• Security and stability will be enhanced through advanced cryptographic techniques and refinements to the Proof of Stake (PoS) protocol.

• Developers will benefit from new programming languages, improved tooling, and streamlined smart contract deployment.

• Users can expect a more intuitive and accessible experience, with lower gas fees and better wallet interfaces.

• The upgrade aims to address environmental concerns, making Ethereum more energy efficient and sustainable.

Introduction

The Ethereum network has a long history of upgrades, each one building upon the previous iterations and introducing groundbreaking features that enhance the platform’s functionality, scalability, and security. From the initial Frontier release to the London hard fork and The Merge, Ethereum has consistently demonstrated its ability to adapt and evolve in the crypto space.

In this article, we delve into all that is involved in the highly anticipated Pectra upgrade.

The Significance of the Pectra Upgrade

The Pectra upgrade, scheduled for implementation in the latter half of 2024, represents a significant step forward in Ethereum’s evolution. This upgrade, named after the historic cities of Prague and Electra, is poised to introduce a host of improvements and enhancements that will have a profound impact on the Ethereum ecosystem. 

Ethereum’s Upgrade Timeline to Date

The Ethereum upgrade timeline is a carefully orchestrated roadmap that outlines the network’s planned improvements and enhancements. Pectra is the latest in a series of upgrades that have been meticulously planned and executed by the Ethereum development team.

Below is a brief overview of the Ethereum upgrade timeline:

1. Frontier (2015): The initial release of Ethereum, laying the foundation for the network.
2. Homestead (2016): Introduced improvements to security and stability.
3. Metropolis (2017–2018): Implemented the Byzantium and Constantinople hard forks, enhancing scalability and privacy.
4. Istanbul (2019): Focused on improving interoperability and gas cost efficiency.
5. Muir Glacier (2020): Addressed the difficulty bomb, ensuring the smooth transition to Ethereum 2.0.
6. London (2021): Introduced the EIP-1559 update, revolutionising Ethereum’s fee structure.
7. The Merge (2022): Transitioned Ethereum from a Proof of Work (PoW) consensus mechanism to Proof of Stake (PoS).
8. Shanghai (2023): Enabled the withdrawal of staked Ether.
9. Pectra (2024): The upcoming upgrade, set to introduce a new era of scalability and efficiency.

Key Features and Improvements of the Pectra Upgrade

Vitalik Buterin stated that Pectra is one of the last major upgrades expected that introduces significant changes to the Ethereum network, underlining the importance of this upgrade.

“After scaling is complete, we’re entering a phase where the most intense and rapid parts of Ethereum’s transformation are essentially behind us,” according to Buterin.

As of 7 June, nine upgrades have been slated for inclusion in Pectra, covering a diverse range of Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs), with some dating all the way back to 2020. Below is an overview of what the nine EIPs are:

Verkle Trees and Statelessness

EIP-2935 introduces Verkle trees and enables statelessness in Pectra. Verkle trees eliminate the need for nodes to store the network’s state locally, and thereby greatly reduce the computational burden on validators.

Validator Light Clients

In addition to Verkle trees and statelessness, there are three additional ‘parallel upgrades’ likely to be included in Pectra. These upgrades include the development of validator light clients, which allow users to validate the network without downloading the entire Ethereum blockchain. 

Light clients aim to enhance Ethereum’s decentralisation by enabling validation through “resource-constrained devices like tablets and cell phones,” according to Ethereum developers.

Obsolete Historical Data

With nodes no longer required to store Ethereum’s full block history, EIP-4444 formalises the deletion of historical data from full nodes after a specified time period, further reducing computational demands and improving node decentralisation.

“The amount of data needed to run a node would decrease from multiple terabytes to… potentially running a node in RAM,” said Buterin.

The deleted block history, however, will remain archived: Nodes and decentralised applications (dapps) needing access to deleted block history can query third-party data services after EIP-4444’s implementation.

Consensus Improvements

Several upgrades planned for Pectra aim to enhance staking efficiency:

EIP-6110 aims to reduce the delay between staking collateral on the Ethereum mainnet execution layer and the processing of these transactions on the Beacon Chain, which also simplifies validator client software.

EIP-7251 intends to slow the growth and reduce the size of Ethereum’s validator set, enhancing the network’s security. Meanwhile, EIP-7002 expands the design options available for staking pool developers, and EIP-7549 focuses on improving the efficiency of attestations, which reduces network load and the bandwidth required by nodes.

Execution Upgrades

On the execution layer, EIP-2537 and EIP-7865 are designed to improve interoperability between Ethereum’s mainnet and its Beacon Chain consensus layer. This enhances the functionality of decentralised staking pools, dapps, and decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs) that interact with the Beacon Chain for staking purposes.

A group of 10 EIPs related to the EVM Object Format (EOF) seeks to upgrade the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), the core engine for Ethereum’s smart contracts. EOF aims to improve the upgradeability of EVM contracts and enhance the efficiency of smart contract code execution.

EIP-7702 is a proposal that introduces smart account features to regular externally owned account (EOA) wallets, enabling batched transaction execution, transaction fee sponsoring, and delegated wallet security. However, critics have expressed concerns that this upgrade could expose users to new security vulnerabilities.

The Ethereum team has stated that EOF and EIP-7702 could be dropped from the upgrade or split into two hard forks instead.

Pending EIPs

While not confirmed for inclusion in Pectra, EIP-7688 simplifies the process for staking pools to verify whether a participating validator has been slashed. Developers are also considering a proposal to reduce the rate of new Ether issuance.

However, this proposal quickly sparked debate, with many community members opposing the suggestion proposed by an Ethereum Foundation researcher, as this could become a slippery slope for Foundation researchers frequently altering the network’s tokenomics without broader community input.

What the Pectra Upgrade Means for Developers and Users

The Pectra upgrade holds immense significance for both Ethereum developers and users, as it promises to transform the network’s capabilities and user experience.

For Developers:

• Improved scalability and reduced gas costs will enable developers to build more efficient and cost-effective dapps on the Ethereum network.

• The introduction of enhanced development tools will streamline the process of creating and deploying smart contracts, fostering greater innovation and experimentation.

• Developers will have access to more robust security features and stability enhancements, allowing them to build applications with a higher degree of trust and reliability.

• The overall developer experience will be improved through better documentation, support, and a more vibrant and collaborative ecosystem.

For Users:

• Improved scalability will result in faster transaction processing and reduced network congestion, leading to a more seamless and efficient user experience.

• Lower gas fees will make Ethereum-based transactions more accessible and affordable for a broader range of users, encouraging greater mainstream adoption.

• Enhanced user-friendliness, such as improved wallet interfaces and intuitive token management, will make Ethereum-based applications more approachable and user-centric.

• The environmental sustainability improvements introduced by the Pectra upgrade will address concerns around the network’s energy consumption, making Ethereum a more attractive option for eco-conscious users.

By catering to the needs of both developers and users, the Pectra upgrade positions Ethereum as a more robust, scalable, and user-friendly platform, poised to drive widespread adoption and innovation within the decentralised ecosystem.

Conclusion: The Impact of the Pectra Upgrade on Ethereum’s Evolution

By addressing the network’s scalability challenges, enhancing security and stability, and introducing developer-friendly features, this upgrade will pave the way for Ethereum to reach new heights and solidify its position as a leading platform in the decentralised ecosystem.

The Ethereum development team has a clear vision for the network’s future. By continuously pushing the boundaries of what is possible, Ethereum is poised to transform the way we interact with and utilise blockchain technology — empowering developers, users, and the broader community to unlock new possibilities.

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