Ethereum developers have confirmed the final details for the Goerli merger date before the upcoming Merge, which will see the Ethereum blockchain shift from a Proof of Work consensus mechanism to Proof of Stake.
Ethereum developer Tim Beiko has confirmed the final details preceding the launch of the Merge testnet, catalyzing a 14 percent increase in the Ethereum prices.
The upcoming Goerli merger will see node operators update both the execution lay and consensus layer clients in tandem, placing the Ethereum network one testnet merger away from a complete transition to Proof of Stake consensus.
The latest testnet transition will function as a test of Ethereum’s new consensus model on the Goerli testnet, currently the closest simulation of the Ethereum mainnet. The development of the Merge has seen the launch of multiple shadow forks and testnet merges, which began with the launch of the Beacon chain in 2020 as the first stage of a three-phase program.
Ethereum Proof of Stake Upgrade Delayed
Original projections for the completion of the Merge slated the execution date as late 2021. Ongoing delays within the Ethereum development ecosystem, however, pushed the launch back to a tentatively-announced completion date in the third week of September 2022. The final phase of the Merge is expected to be completed by the end of year 2023.
Announcements published by Beiko on Twitter highlight the process of the testenet merge, noting changes to Prater — the Goerli version of the beacon chain — via the Bellatrix update on August 4.
📢📢📢 Goerli/Prater Merge Announcement 📢 📢📢
— Tim Beiko | timbeiko.eth 🐼 (@TimBeiko) July 27, 2022
Prater will run through the Bellatrix upgrade on August 4th, and merge with Goerli between August 6-12th: if you run a node or validator, this is your last chance to go through the process before mainnet 🚨https://t.co/JAz5AJe12B
The Goerli testnet merger will be executed subsequent to the Bellatrix consensus layer upgrade at epoch height 112260. The new Ethereum Proof of Stake model progresses in epochs, rather than blocks, that consist of 32 individual blocks.
The execution layer of the Goerli testnet will be upgraded in the second phase of the testnet merge, transitioning from Proof of Work to Proof of Stake between August 6 and August 12.
Ethereum Users Unaffected by Testnet Upgrade
While upcoming changes to the Goerli testnet won’t affect Ethereum holders or stakers, the upgrades will significantly alter the way in which testnet participants and node operators interact with the testnet blockchain.
Ethereum’s Proof of Stake upgrade is slated as the most significant change to the Ethereum ecosystem since launch, with the Ethereum main chain scheduled to merge with the Beacon chain on September 19.
