The Ethereum Dencun Upgrade
The Dencun upgrade, also known as the Cancun-Deneb upgrade, is a significant network upgrade for the Ethereum blockchain
1. It combines changes to both Ethereum's consensus and execution layers
2.
Key Features and Purpose
The central component of the Dencun upgrade is
Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 4844, which introduces
Proto-Danksharding 1.
- Scalability and Fees: Proto-Danksharding is designed to address Ethereum's high gas fees by expanding block space and improving data availability 1.
- Layer-2 Rollups: The upgrade is particularly beneficial for Layer-2 rollups, enhancing their scalability and efficiency 1.
- Protocol Changes: The full list of protocol changes included in the Dencun upgrade can be found in EIP-7569 2.
Activation Timeline
The Dencun upgrade was implemented on the Ethereum mainnet on March 13, 2024
1.
Key dates and milestones for the upgrade included:
- Mainnet Activation: The hard fork activation block arrived on the Ethereum mainnet on March 13, 2024, at approximately 13:56 UTC 2. The network was stable following the activation, with validator participation holding above 95% 2.
- Testnet Deployments: The upgrade was successfully implemented on several testnets prior to the mainnet launch:
- Goerli testnet (initially failed to reach consensus but was later fixed) 2.
- Sepolia testnet 2.
- Holesky testnet 2.
- Chiado Testnet (for Gnosis) 3.
- Client Releases: The Ethereum Foundation released specific client software versions to support the mainnet upgrade, including releases for both the Consensus Layer (e.g., Lighthouse, Prysm, Teku) and the Execution Layer (e.g., Besu, Go-Ethereum, Nethermind) 2.