Ethereum Merge Testing Successful On Kiln Testnet

The Ethereum Foundation announced that the Merge was successfully completed on the Kiln testnet, an announcement that many in the Ethereum community would feel is music to their ears. The Kiln testnet is the final public testnet before Ethereum finally transitions to Proof-of-Stake later this year. 

A Landmark Occasion 

The successful “Merge” on the Kiln testnet was completed on the 15th of March, according to blockchain data available on the testnet. The event was hailed as a landmark occasion by Ethereum developers and the community. With the successful completion of the test, the Beacon chain has successfully merged with the Kiln Testnet. 

Ethereum Developer Tim Beiko stated, “Post-merge blocks are being produced by validators, and they contain transactions!” Kiln is the last Merge testnet, after which all existing public testnets are upgraded. The Ethereum Foundation commented on the development, stating, 

“This merge signals the culmination of six years of research and development in Ethereum and will result in a more secure network, predictable block times, and a 99.98%+ reduction in power use when it is released on mainnet later in 2022.”

A Raft Of Changes 

With the successful execution of the Merge, Ethereum is now preparing for some of the most significant changes in its history. The Ethereum Foundation, on its part, has asked stakeholders to continue tests on Kiln to ensure that the transition is completed without any glitches. The Foundation released a statement to this effect, stating that it wants to encourage the developer community to test their product through the Merge. 

“Application & tooling developers, node operators, infrastructure providers, and stakers are strongly encouraged to test on Kiln to ensure a smooth transition on existing public testnets.”

A Few Bugs To Iron Out 

While the Merge has been largely successful, there were a few reported hitches along the way. Kiln Explorer revealed that there were several errors related to contract creation. Beiko also tweeted that a client was not producing blocks consistently. Another Ethereum Developer commented on the developments, stating that Prysm, A Go Programming Language Variant for implementing Ethereum Consensus Specification, also proposed bad blocks. 

However, the developer, Marius Van Der Wijden, provided a fix for the problem, stating that the block had the incorrect base fee per gas value. Once the value was substituted with the actual expected base value, it solved the problem. 

A Game Changer For Ethereum  

Ethereum 2.0 has long been in the works, with the transition being executed in a phased manner. The transition has seen several significant changes, with the last major change being the launch of the Beacon Chain in 2020. The Ethereum community, analysts, and investors are waiting for the transition to complete with bated breath. 

Once completed, the issuance of ETH will see a drop of 90%, turning the asset into a deflationary asset. Staking rewards will also see a significant increase, with millions of ETH locked for months. Another important change will be the energy usage, which will see a drop of 99.9%. All these factors will combine to give a significant boost to the price of ETH. 

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.