Goerli blobs were successfully launched on January 17, 2024 at 6:32 UTC by Dencun. This development allows for the usage of blobs on the Goerli testnet. Over the next two weeks, Sepolia and Holesky will also be upgraded, with Dencun activating on Sepolia at epoch 132608 (January 30th, 22:51 UTC) and on Holesky at epoch 29696 (February 7th, 11:35 UTC).
Both testnets will be suitable for the client releases mentioned in this announcement. Assuming the upgrades on Sepolia and Holesky go smoothly, Dencun will then be scheduled for deployment on the Ethereum mainnet.
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The Dencun network upgrade introduces several changes, most notably the implementation of ephemeral data blobs with EIP-4844 (also known as “protodanksharding”), which will help reduce L2 transaction fees.
This upgrade follows last year’s Shapella upgrade and will first be deployed on Ethereum testnets before being implemented on the mainnet.
For more information on the upgrade, including its specification and client releases, please refer to the EIPs linked in this announcement. It is important for validators to be mindful of the risks of running a majority client on either the execution layer or consensus layer. Instructions for switching between clients can be found here.
As an Ethereum user or Ether holder, there is no action required on your end. If you run your own Ethereum node, make sure to update your execution and consensus layer clients to the versions listed above.
Stakers are also advised to update both their beacon node and validator client to ensure compatibility with the upgrade on either testnet.
Developers should review the EIPs included in Dencun to determine any potential impact on their projects. The only EIPs with backwards compatibility implications are EIP-6780, EIP-7044, and EIP-7514.
The name “Dencun” is a combination of Deneb, a bright star in the Cygnus constellation, and Cancun, the host city of Devcon 3.
Finally, the cover image for this announcement was created by Darren Lawrence with modifications by Tomo Saito.