Mainnet Merge Announcement

• Ethereum is moving to proof-of-stake! The transition, known arsenic The Merge, indispensable archetypal beryllium activated connected the Beacon Chain with the Bellatrix upgrade. After this, the proof-of-work concatenation volition migrate to proof-of-stake upon hitting a circumstantial Total Difficulty value.
• The Bellatrix upgrade is scheduled for epoch 144896 connected the Beacon Chain -- 11:34:47am UTC connected Sept 6, 2022.
• The Terminal Total Difficulty worth triggering The Merge is 58750000000000000000000, expected betwixt Sept 10-20, 2022.
• Note: arsenic announced earlier, the Kiln testnet is being sunset. Operators volition unopen down connected September 6, 2022.

Background

Following years of hard work, Ethereum's proof-of-stake upgrade is yet here! The palmy upgrade of each nationalist testnets is present complete, and The Merge has been scheduled for the Ethereum mainnet.

The Merge is antithetic from erstwhile web upgrades successful 2 ways. First, node operators request to update some their statement furniture (CL) and execution furniture (EL) clients successful tandem, alternatively than conscionable 1 of the two. Second, the upgrade activates successful 2 phases: the first, named Bellatrix, astatine an epoch tallness connected the Beacon Chain, and the second, named Paris, upon hitting a Total Difficulty worth connected the execution layer.

Upgrade Information

Timing

The Merge is simply a two-step process. The archetypal measurement is simply a web upgrade, Bellatrix, connected the statement furniture triggered by an epoch height. This is followed by the execution layer's modulation from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, Paris, triggered by a circumstantial Total Difficulty threshold called the Terminal Total Difficulty (TTD).

The Bellatrix upgrade is scheduled for epoch 144896 connected the Beacon Chain -- 11:34:47am UTC connected Sept 6, 2022.

Paris, the execution layer's information of the transition, volition beryllium triggered by the Terminal Total Difficulty (TTD) of 58750000000000000000000, expected betwixt Sept 10-20, 2022. The nonstop day astatine which TTD is reached depends proof-of-work hash rate. Estimates for the modulation tin beryllium recovered astatine bordel.wtf and 797.io/themerge.

Once the execution furniture reaches oregon exceeds the TTD, the consequent artifact volition beryllium produced by a Beacon Chain validator. The Merge modulation is considered implicit erstwhile the Beacon Chain finalizes this block. Under mean web conditions, this volition hap 2 epochs (or ~13 minutes) aft the archetypal post-TTD artifact is produced!

A caller JSON-RPC artifact tag, finalized, returns the latest finalized artifact oregon an mistake if nary specified post-merge artifact exists. This tag tin beryllium utilized by applications to cheque if The Merge has been completed. Similarly, astute contracts tin query the DIFFICULTY opcode (0x44) (renamed to PREVRANDAO post-merge) to find if The Merge has happened. We urge infrastructure providers show wide web stableness successful summation to finalization status.

Client Releases

The pursuing lawsuit releases enactment The Merge connected the Ethereum mainnet. Node operators indispensable tally both an execution and statement furniture lawsuit to stay connected the web during and aft The Merge.

When choosing which lawsuit to run, validators should beryllium particularly mindful of the risks of moving a bulk lawsuit connected some the EL and CL. An explainer of these risks and their consequences tin beryllium recovered here. An estimation of existent EL and CL lawsuit organisation and guides for switching from 1 lawsuit to different tin beryllium recovered here.

Consensus Layer

Warning: Nimbus mentation v22.9.0 is simply a high-urgency upgrade that fixes a captious pre-TTD artifact accumulation contented affecting users that restarted their node aft Bellatrix. It besides improves compatibility with Besu, Prysm and dilatory artifact builders and provides a velocity boost successful artifact processing important for those moving connected Raspberry Pi and akin hardware.

Warning: Lighthouse mentation v3.1.0 is simply a high-priority merchandise contains an important hole to guarantee that Lighthouse does not effort to nutrient invalid blocks. The --strict-fee-recipient emblem for the Lighthouse Validator Client has besides been recovered to forestall artifact proposals successful the play betwixt the Bellatrix upgrade (Sept 6th) and the TTD day (estimated Sept 15th). We are presently wrong that play of clip and truthful each stakers utilizing that emblem are affected. We counsel that anyone utilizing the --strict-fee-recipient emblem should region it and restart the Validator Client arsenic soon arsenic possible. This does not impact the --suggested-fee-recipient flag.

Warning: Prysm v3.1.1 is simply a highly recommended update arsenic it contains respective important fixes and features for the merge.

Warning: Teku mentation 22.9.0 is simply a required update.

Execution Layer

Warning: Besu 22.7.2 is simply a recommended merchandise for the Merge and Mainnet users. 22.7.1 remains Merge-ready. This merchandise provides further robustness earlier the Merge with immoderate fixes and improvements successful sync, peering, and logging.

Warning: Erigon mentation v2022.09.01-alpha fixes invalid artifact accumulation owed to insufficient verification of integer signature components, artifact snapshot accumulation that sometimes occurs during POS reverse header download and a batch of smaller bugs and information issues. All Erigon users are recommended to upgrade to this oregon a aboriginal mentation anterior to the Merge.

Warning: geth mentation v1.10.22 contains a captious database issue, bash not usage this version, and if you person already upgraded, delight upgrade to v1.10.23 arsenic soon arsenic possible.

Upgrade Specifications

Consensus-critical changes for The Merge are specified successful 2 places:

• The statement furniture changes nether the Bellatrix directory of the consensus-specs repository
• The execution furniture changes nether the Paris spec successful the execution-specs repository

In summation to these, 2 different specifications screen however the statement and execution furniture clients interact:

• The Engine API, specified successful the execution-apis repository, is utilized for connection betwixt the statement and execution layers
• Optimistic Sync, specified successful the sync folder of the consensus-specs repository, is utilized by the statement furniture to import blocks arsenic the execution furniture lawsuit is syncing and to supply a partial presumption of the caput of the concatenation from the erstwhile to the latter

Merge Bug Bounty Bonus

All Merge-related bounties for vulnerabilities person received a 4x multiplier betwixt present and the 8th of September. Critical bugs are present worthy up to $1 cardinal USD.

See the bug bounty program for much details.

FAQ

As a node operator, what should I do?

Post-merge, an Ethereum afloat node is the operation of a statement furniture (CL) lawsuit which runs the proof-of-stake Beacon Chain and an execution furniture (EL) lawsuit which manages the user-state and runs the computations associated with transactions. The EL and CL lawsuit pass implicit an authenticated larboard utilizing a caller acceptable of JSON RPC methods called the Engine API. The EL and CL lawsuit authenticate each different utilizing a JWT secret. Node operators should notation to their clients' documentation for instructions astir however to make and configure this value.

In different words, if you were already moving a node connected the Beacon Chain, you present besides request to tally an execution furniture client. Similarly, if you were moving a node connected the existent proof-of-work network, you volition request to tally a statement furniture client. For them to pass securely, a JWT token indispensable beryllium passed to each client. An update to the 'Run a Node' section of the ethereum.org website goes implicit these steps successful much detail.

It is worthy emphasizing that portion they are some portion of statement furniture lawsuit releases, moving a Beacon Node is chiseled from moving a Validator Client. Stakers indispensable tally both, but node operators lone request the former. This post explains the quality betwixt some components successful much detail.

Also, enactment that each furniture volition support an autarkic acceptable of peers and exposure its ain APIs. The Beacon and JSON RPC APIs volition some proceed moving arsenic expected.

As a staker, what bash I request to do?

As explained above, validators connected the Beacon Chain volition request to tally an execution furniture lawsuit aft The Merge successful summation to their statement furniture clients. Pre-merge, this was powerfully recommended, but immoderate validators person outsourced these functions to third-party providers. This was imaginable due to the fact that the lone information required connected the execution furniture were updates to the deposit contract.

Post-merge, validators indispensable guarantee that idiosyncratic transactions and authorities transitions blocks that they make and attest to are valid. To bash this, each beacon node indispensable beryllium paired with an execution furniture client. Note that aggregate validators tin inactive beryllium paired to a azygous beacon node & execution furniture lawsuit combo. This expands validators' responsibilities but besides gives a validator who proposes a artifact the close to its associated transaction precedence fees (which presently spell to miners).

While validator rewards inactive accrue connected the Beacon Chain and volition necessitate a consequent web upgrade to beryllium withdrawn, transaction fees volition beryllium paid, burned, and distributed connected the execution layer. Validators tin specify immoderate Ethereum code arsenic a recipient for transaction fees.

After updating your statement client, beryllium definite to acceptable the fee recipient arsenic portion of your validator lawsuit configurations to guarantee transaction fees are sent to an code you control. If you person staked utilizing a third-party provider, it is up to your selected supplier to specify however these fees are allocated.

The Staking Launchpad has a Merge Readiness Checklist that stakers tin usage to guarantee they person gone done each measurement of the process. EthStaker person besides hosted Validator Prep Workshops, with much being planned.

Stakers who privation to tally a validator connected a testnet successful mentation for the mainnet proof-of-stake modulation tin bash truthful connected Goerli (now merged with Prater), which besides has a Staking Launchpad instance.

Why is the estimated day for the Terminal Total Difficulty truthful broad?

The incremental trouble added per artifact is babelike connected the web hash complaint which is volatile. If much hash complaint joins the network, TTD volition beryllium reached sooner. Similarly, if hash complaint leaves the network, TTD volition beryllium reached later. In the lawsuit of a important driblet successful hash complaint levels, a TTD Override could beryllium coordinated arsenic was done connected Ropsten.

As an exertion oregon tooling developer, what should I do?

As explained successful a previous post, The Merge volition person lone minimal interaction connected a subset of contracts deployed connected Ethereum, nary of which should beryllium breaking. Additionally, the lion's stock of idiosyncratic API endpoints stay unchangeable (unless you usage proof-of-work circumstantial methods specified arsenic eth_getWork).

That said, astir applications connected Ethereum impact overmuch much than on-chain contracts. Now is the time to guarantee that your front-end code, tooling, deployment pipeline and different off-chain components enactment arsenic intended. We powerfully urge that developers tally done a implicit investigating & deployment rhythm connected Sepolia oregon Goerli and study immoderate issues with tools oregon dependencies to those projects' maintainers. If you are unsure wherever to unfastened an issue, delight usage this repository.

Additionally, delight enactment that each testnets speech from Sepolia and Goerli volition beryllium deprecated post-merge. If you are a idiosyncratic of Ropsten, Rinkeby oregon Kiln, you should program to migrate to Goerli oregon Sepolia. More accusation astir this tin beryllium recovered here.

As an Ethereum idiosyncratic oregon Ether holder, is determination thing I request to do?

Whether you are utilizing Ethereum applications on-chain, holding Ether connected an speech oregon successful a self-custodied wallet, you bash not person to bash anything. If an application, speech oregon wallet you usage offers additonal instructions oregon recommendations, you should verify these are really coming from them. Be connected the lookout for scams!

As a miner, is determination thing I request to do?

No. If you are mining connected the Ethereum mainnet, you should beryllium alert that the web volition run wholly nether proof-of-stake aft The Merge. At that point, mining volition nary longer beryllium imaginable connected the network.

What happens if I americium a miner oregon node relation and I bash not enactment successful the upgrade?

If you are utilizing an Ethereum lawsuit that is not updated to the latest mentation (listed above), your lawsuit volition sync to the pre-fork blockchain erstwhile the upgrade occurs.

You volition beryllium stuck connected an incompatible concatenation pursuing the aged rules and volition beryllium incapable to nonstop Ether oregon run connected the post-merge Ethereum network.

As a validator, tin I retreat my stake?

No. The Merge is the astir analyzable upgrade to Ethereum to date. To minimize risks of web disruptions, a minimal attack was taken which excluded immoderate non-transition changes from this upgrade.

Withdrawals from the Beacon Chain volition apt beryllium introduced successful the archetypal upgrade aft The Merge. Specifications for some the consensus and execution layers are successful progress.

I person much questions, wherever tin I inquire them?

Join lawsuit squad developers, members of ETHStaker, researchers, and much connected the adjacent Merge Community Call connected Friday, Sept 9 astatine 14:00 UTC!

Thank You

Ethereum's modulation to proof-of-stake has been a loooong clip coming. Thank you to everyone who contributed to researching, specifying, developing, analyzing, testing, breaking, fixing, oregon explaining everything that got america to The Merge.

There person been acold excessively galore contributors implicit the years to database here, but you cognize who you are. Without each of you successful the bazaar, we wouldn't person built this cathedral.

wen merge? Very 🔜.

---

Thank you to Joseph Schweitzer and Tomo Saito for the screen representation for this post!