Ethereum Developer Talks Kintsugi Bugs, New Kiln Testnet, Shanghai Upgrade, And More

In an update report, core Ethereum developer Tim Beiko has outlined the noteworthy moments and events happening since the launch of the Kintsugi testnet. He has also highlighted plans of focusing on proposals that have been sidelined due to the EIP 1559 launch. 

Launch Of Kintsugi And Beyond

One of the major updates happening in the Ethereum network post the merge, was the launch of the Kintsugi testnet, right before the holidays. As the first public, easily accessible, multi-client testnet running on the network, it helped decode a bug that caused delays in finalization. Furthermore, other issues also cropped up when there were multiple deep forks in the network. This was happening because the payloads sent by consensus clients to execution clients across several forks were taking preference and being executed by default. This process slowed down clients and triggered unnecessary sync processes. In some cases, it would even cause the node to panic and shut down. Beiko clarified that the issues were addressed by easing up the requirements for execution clients when receiving payloads to ensure that they would not be processed by default. Instead, the client would be able to choose to store payloads on a non-canonical chain. 

Updates To Prevent Exposure And Fund Loss

Beiko also announced that alongside this change in the Engine API specification, an authentication mechanism for execution and consensus clients would also be introduced in the next release of the specs. This mechanism will prevent users from accidentally exposing their Engine API over the open internet, which could result in loss of funds. Through the authentication, a node’s consensus and execution clients will only be interacting with each other. 

Beiko also talked about a new Kintsugi-style testnet, Kiln running the latest specs and changes once they are implemented. He pointed out that if all goes well, then the existing testnets will be transitioned to proof-of-stake before finalizing the date for the Merge on mainnet. 

Finally, Other Proposals To Get Attention

Beiko also talks about the discussions around the first post-merge upgrade, Shanghai. He pointed out that over the past two years, most protocol work had been revolving around the EIP 1559 initiative and the transition to proof-of-stake. As a result, other proposals that had been deprioritized are now being considered for the Shanghai upgrade. Some of these projects are EVM Object Format, BLS Precompiles, EIP-3074, EIP-4488, and EIP-1153. Additionally, the team is also prioritizing withdrawals from the Beacon chain. 

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