THE Kintsugi 🍵 merge testnetlaunched in late December, has been a valuable testing ground for The Merge. Through various test suites, multi-client devnets, Goerli shadow forks, application deployments, and help from the #TestingTheMerge community, we arrived at a set of stable and robust protocol specifications. Now that customers have implemented these latest specifications, a successor to the Kintsugi, Kiln 🔥🧱, is being released!
Like the Ethereum mainnet, Kiln’s execution layer was launched under proof of work in parallel with a Beacon chain running proof of stake. The merge took place on Kiln on March 15, 2022. The network now operates entirely under proof of stake!
Kiln is expected to be the last fusion testnet created before the existing public testnets are upgraded. Application and tool developers, node operators, infrastructure providers, and stakeholders are strongly encouraged to test on Kiln to ensure a smooth transition to existing public testnets.
Kintsugi, the previous fusion testnet, will be deprecated in the coming weeks.
Use the oven
To start
The easiest way to start using Kiln is to visit the network’s website. landing page. There you can add the network to your browser wallet, view block explorers, request funds on tap, and connect to a JSON RPC endpoint. If you want to become a validator on Kiln, the staking launch pad also supports network.
Application and tool developers
With Kiln going live, now is the time to ensure your product performs as intended throughout the proof-of-stake transition and in a post-merger context. As explained in a previous messageThe merger will only have minimal impacts on a subset of contracts deployed on Ethereum, none of which are expected to be broken. Additionally, the lion’s share of user API endpoints remains stable (that is, unless you use PoW-specific methods like eth_getWork).
That said, most applications on Ethereum involve much more than on-chain contracts. Kiln is where you want to make sure your front-end code, tools, deployment pipeline, and other off-chain components work as expected. We strongly recommend that developers perform a full test and deployment cycle on Kiln and report any issues with tools or dependencies to those project leads. If you are unsure where to open an issue, please use this repository.
Node operators
After the merge, an Ethereum full node will be the combination of a consensus layer client, which runs proof of stake on the Beacon chain, and an execution layer client, which manages user state and performs calculations associated with transactions. These communicate over an authenticated port using a new set of JSON RPC methods, called Engine API.
Node operators will therefore need to run a consensus and execution layer client in tandem. In other words, if you were already running a node on the Beacon chain, you now also need to run a runtime layer client. Similarly, if you were running a node on the current proof-of-work network, you would need to run a consensus layer client.
You can find the latest version of clients supported by Kiln here.
It is worth emphasizing that each layer will maintain an independent set of peers and expose its own APIs. THE Tag And JSONRPC So both APIs will continue to work as expected.
Stakeholders
As explained above, Beacon Chain validators will need to run an execution layer client after The Merge. Prior to the merger, this was strongly recommended, but it was possible for validators to outsource these functions to third-party providers. This was possible because the only data required at the execution level were updates to the deposit contract.
After the merge, validators must ensure that the transactions in the blocks they create and attest are valid. To do this, a runtime layer client is required. While this expands the responsibilities of validators, it also entitles the validator proposing a block to the associated transaction priority fees (which currently go to miners).
Although validator rewards accumulate on the Beacon Chain and require a subsequent upgrade to withdraw, transaction fees will continue to be paid, burned, and distributed on the execution layer. Validators can thus specify any Ethereum address as the recipient of transaction fees.
Kiln is the ideal environment for existing players to familiarize themselves with the post-merger Ethereum context. We recommend that you try to mirror your production setup to the network and ensure that you resolve any issues now.
Once again, the staking launch pad provides a simple interface to get started. Note that in the context of renaming “eth2.0”THE ethereum/eth2.0-deposit-cli the repository will soon be renamed to ethereum/staking-deposit-cli.
FAQs
When to merge?
A date for the Ethereum mainnet proof-of-stake transition has been announced. not been fixed as of the publication of this article. Any source claiming otherwise is likely to be a scam. Updates will be posted on this blog. Please stay safe!
Assuming no issues are found with Kiln, once customers finalize the details of their implementations, existing Ethereum testnets (Goerli, Ropsten, etc.) will operate through The Merge. Once these have successfully transitioned and stabilized, again, assuming no issues are detected, a difficulty value will be defined for the mainnet transition. Only then will it be possible to estimate the exact date of The Merge.
As an Ethereum user or Ether holder, do I need to do anything?
No, if you want to try Kiln, do it. We hope many community members will join us in #TestingTheMerge on Kiln.
The Ethereum mainnet is not affected by this testnet. Further announcements will be made on this blog ahead of the mainnet transition.
As a minor, do I have to do anything?
No. If you are mining on the Ethereum mainnet, please be aware that after The Merge, the network will operate entirely under proof of stake. At this point, mining will no longer be possible on the network.
As a validator, can I withdraw my stake?
No. The merge is the most complicated upgrade to Ethereum yet. To minimize the risk of network disruptions, a minimal approach has been adopted that excludes any non-transitory changes to this upgrade.
Beacon Chain withdrawals will likely be available from the first upgrade after The Merge. Specifications for both consensus And execution diapers are in progress.
Why the oven?
The previous fusion testnet, Kintsugi, is named after the Japanese art of breaking pottery and repairing it with gold, making it both stronger and more beautiful.
Along the same lines, a kiln is a high-temperature oven used to turn clay into hardened objects, like pottery or bricks 🔥🧱.
