Sepolia Merge Announcement
Sepolia Merge Announcement: A Comprehensive Guide to Ethereum's Proof-of-Stake Transition
As the Ethereum ecosystem continues to evolve, the Sepolia testnet is set to become the second public testnet to undergo The Merge, marking a significant milestone in the transition to proof-of-stake (PoS). In this article, we'll delve into the details of the Sepolia Merge, its implications, and what it means for the Ethereum community.
Background: Years of Work Come to Fruition
After years of development, the Ethereum team has finally reached the final testing stage of bringing proof-of-stake to the network. With Ropsten already transitioned to PoS and shadow forks continuing regularly, Sepolia is now ready for The Merge. The Merge is a two-step process that starts with a network upgrade on the consensus layer, triggered by an epoch height, followed by the execution layer's transition from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, triggered by a specific Total Difficulty threshold.
Upgrade Information: Timing and Details
The Merge is a complex process that requires both consensus and execution layer clients to be updated in tandem. Node operators must run both an execution and consensus layer client to remain on the network during and after The Merge. The Sepolia testnet has already run through the Bellatrix upgrade on the Beacon Chain, and now it's time for the second phase of the transition: hitting the Terminal Total Difficulty (TTD).
Client Releases: Consensus and Execution Layer Clients
The following client releases support The Merge on the Sepolia testnet:
Consensus Layer
- Lighthouse 2.3.2-rc.0
- Lodestar 0.39.0-rc.2
- Prysm 2.1.3-rc.4
- Nimbus 22.6.1
- Teku 22.6.1
Execution Layer
- Besu (See "Besu Note" below)
- Erigon v2022.07.01
- go-ethereum (geth) v1.10.20 master (See "Geth Note" below)
- Nethermind 1.13.4
Besu Note: Manual TTD Override
To be compatible with the Sepolia merge, Besu users will need to perform a manual TTD override. To do so, users should run the latest Besu release, 22.4.3, and add the following line to their TOML configuration file:
override-genesis-config=["terminalTotalDifficulty=17000000000000000"]
Alternatively, users can add the following flag when starting the node using the CLI:
--override-genesis-config="terminalTotalDifficulty=17000000000000000"
Geth Note: Regression and Master Branch
A regression introduced in go-ethereum v1.10.20 makes it unsuitable for use as part of the Sepolia merge. Users of Geth should instead run the master branch until a new release is out. Instructions to do so are available here.
Upgrade Specifications: Consensus-Critical Changes
The consensus-critical changes for The Merge are specified in two places:
- The consensus layer changes, under the bellatrix directory of the consensus-specs repository
- The execution layer changes, under the Paris spec in the execution-specs repository
FAQ: What You Need to Know
As a Node Operator
- Post-merge, an Ethereum full node will combine a consensus layer client, which runs the proof-of-stake Beacon Chain, and an execution layer client, which manages the user-state and runs the computations associated with transactions.
- Node operators should refer to their clients' documentation for instructions about how to generate and configure JWT secrets.
As a Staker
- Sepolia's validator set is permissioned, so unless you have already been included as a Sepolia validator, no action is required.
- Goerli/Prater's transition to proof-of-stake, which will be announced at a later date, will be open to all validators.
As an Application or Tooling Developer
- With The Merge going live on Sepolia, now is the time to ensure that your product works as expected through the proof-of-stake transition and in a post-merge context.
- We strongly recommend that developers run through a complete testing & deployment cycle on Ropsten (or Kiln) and report any issues with tools or dependencies to those projects' maintainers.
As an Ethereum User or Ether Holder
- No action is required. The Ethereum mainnet is not affected by this testnet. Subsequent announcements will be made on this blog before mainnet's transition.
As a Miner
- No action is required. If you are mining on the Ethereum mainnet or Sepolia, you should be aware that each network will operate entirely under proof-of-stake after The Merge. At that point, mining will no longer be possible on the network.
Conclusion: The Future of Ethereum
The Sepolia Merge marks a significant milestone in the transition to proof-of-stake, and it's essential for the Ethereum community to understand the implications and what it means for the future of the network. As the Ethereum ecosystem continues to evolve, it's crucial to stay informed and adapt to the changing landscape. With The Merge, Ethereum is one step closer to becoming a more secure, scalable, and sustainable network for the future.
Source: https://blog.ethereum.org/en/2022/06/30/sepolia-merge-announcement
