Key Takeaways:
- Ethereum’s Cancun-Deneb upgrade includes EIP-4844, which is set to introduce Proto-Danksharding to improve scalability and reduce gas fees.
- Sharding is a technique that divides a blockchain network into smaller units, known as ‘shards’.
- Danksharding is an advanced form of sharding that utilises large data ‘blobs’ to increase transaction throughput.
- Proto-Danksharding is an interim step towards full Danksharding, aiming to decrease transaction costs and increase throughput.
- EIP-4844 also includes other important updates, laying the groundwork for future upgrades to the Ethereum network.
A Brief Overview of the Ethereum Cancun Upgrade
The Ethereum Cancun upgrade, also known as EIP-4844, is a highly anticipated development in the Ethereum network. This update aims to address one of the key obstacles to Ethereum’s mass adoption — the blockchain’s high gas fees.
The Ethereum Cancun upgrade introduces Proto-Danksharding, a method to decrease transaction costs and increase transaction throughput, which is poised to make significant improvement in Ethereum’s scalability.
What Is Sharding?
Sharding is a method used to enhance the capacity and performance of a blockchain network. It achieves this by partitioning the network into smaller units, called ‘shards’, which are capable of processing transactions independently.
This parallel processing significantly boosts the efficiency of the network, lowering network congestion and subsequently reducing gas fees. Sharding is a critical step towards making the Ethereum network more scalable and accessible.
What Is Danksharding?
Danksharding is an evolved form of sharding that utilises Binary Large Objects (‘blobs’), which are large amounts of data that help to further increase transaction throughput. This advanced form of sharding is designed to help lower transaction costs on the Ethereum network and boost its capacity.
Danksharding is often referred to as the ‘scalability killer’, as it’s expected to enhance Ethereum’s transaction processing speed to around 100,000 transactions per second (tps).
What Is Proto-Danksharding?
Proto-Danksharding, the focus of the Ethereum Cancun upgrade, is a transitional phase towards full Danksharding. By introducing a new transaction type that accepts ‘blobs’ of data, Proto-Danksharding aims to prepare the Ethereum network for full Danksharding in the future.
The information contained within the data blobs is automatically deleted after a fixed period (usually one to three months) and inaccessible to the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). This helps rollups to transmit their data with lower costs, leading to reduced transaction expenses for end users.
This method is expected to significantly reduce gas fees and increase transaction throughput, moving the network one step closer to managing the capacity of a global transaction network.
How EIP-4844 Aims to Reduce Gas Fees
EIP-4844 proposes a new type of transaction, known as blob-carrying transactions, which are similar to regular Ethereum transactions but include additional pieces of information. These blobs are large in size but inexpensive compared to current calldata, making them a cost-effective solution for reducing gas fees. By temporarily storing these blobs on the Ethereum consensus layer, EIP-4844 aims to significantly reduce the cost of data from rollups to the Ethereum base layer, thereby lowering transaction fees.
Additional Updates in the Cancun Upgrade
In addition to introducing blob-carrying transactions, the Ethereum Cancun upgrade also includes other important updates: the implementation of execution-layer logic, verification rules, and multidimensional fee markets — all required for full Danksharding in the future.
By implementing most of the logic required for full Danksharding, EIP-4844 provides a crucial stepping stone towards making the Ethereum network fully scalable.
When Does EIP-4844 Go Live?
At the time of writing, the Ethereum Foundation hasn’t yet specified a launch date for EIP-4844. However, the upgrade is expected to happen sometime in the second half of 2023.
Conclusion: The Significance of the Ethereum Cancun Upgrade
The Ethereum Cancun upgrade, or EIP-4844, is a pivotal development in the evolution of the Ethereum network. By introducing Proto-Danksharding, this upgrade is set to significantly reduce Ethereum’s gas fees and increase transaction throughput, paving the way for full Danksharding in the future.
As the Ethereum network continues evolving and improving, upgrades like EIP-4844 will play a crucial role in enhancing the network’s capabilities as it expands towards becoming a platform for global transactions. With its potential to make Ethereum more competitive in the cryptocurrency space, the Ethereum Cancun upgrade marks a significant step forward in the journey towards a fully scalable and accessible Ethereum network.
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