The Ethereum Foundation has released a statement regarding the closure of its popular testnet, Ropsten. In recent months, infrastructure providers have been gradually withdrawing support for the network and validator engagement rates have been steadily dropping. The majority of remaining validation nodes will be shut down by December 15-31 2022, after which customers, testers and infrastructure teams will no longer be able to offer support.

This closure allows users and app developers to transition to the new network, Rinkeby. However, it is important to note that Rinkeby does not support any future upgrades to the Ethereum mainnet.

The closure of the legacy testnet provides an opportunity for the Ethereum community to evaluate their approach to network testing. Proponents can now consider purpose-specific networks for stakeholders versus a general-use Ethereum Testnet. If you have any thoughts on the future of Ethereum Testnets, now is the time to make your voice heard!

Cover image by michael