By Larry Wright
The core developers of Ethereum are busy making all the necessary preparations for the launch of the Shapella upgrade. This upgrade is also known as the Shanghai-Capella. During its pilot phase, this upgrade is going to go on the Goerli testnet.
In this manner, the core developers will be able to check, run simulations, and debug any problems in advance before the mainnet launch. The Shapella upgrade is currently in the phase of dress rehearsal.
However, the mainnet launch of this upgrade is scheduled for April. As per the details about this upgrade, the developers are planning to trigger it at the 162304 epoch on the Goerli testnet. The estimated time, according to the intended epoch, is set at 6:25 EST.
The devs have informed the stakeholders that once the testnet launch is carried out successfully, the mainnet launch can take place in the consequent month.
Shapella Upgrade to Introduce New Features to the Ethereum Network
One of the most important features that the Shapella upgrade is going to add to the Ethereum network is related to EIP 4895. This new EIP or Ethereum Improvement Protocol will allow validators to make withdrawals for their staked cryptocurrencies on the mainnet.
In this manner, they will be able to avoid the possibility of impermanent losses. The staking withdrawal feature was available in the previous versions of the Ethereum blockchain.
However, it was blocked when Ethereum made a switch to the PoS consensus mechanism from the PoW model. This shift took place in September 2022, and it will be the first time since last year those validators will be able to withdraw their staked cryptocurrencies after this upgrade has been installed.
This upgrade has been discussed in the online forums where Ethereum stakeholders communicate with each other, and it was accepted after getting the most votes on this matter.
After completing the testing phase for the Shapella upgrade, the Goerli testnet will finally complete the third and final testnet run. Before the introduction of the Shapella upgrade, the core devs of Ethereum used the same platform for other options.
The other Ethereum network versions that have been tested on this testnet include Sepolia and Zhejiang, which took place in the form of public tests.
Goerli testnet has been operational since February last year. It is important to mention that it is going to bring other features to the Ethereum network in addition to the staking withdrawals.
As per the developers, this upgrade is going to encourage the onboarding of three additional features, including the addition of gas inflation on account of increasing trading volume under the influence of Shapella integration.