Authors: David C, William M. Peaster; Compilation: Deng Tong, Golden Finance
Vitalik Buterin's writing enthusiasm is high this year, with 25 posts published on his blog by 2024.
It is worth noting that his latest article is part of the 'Possible Futures of the Ethereum Protocol' series, each of which dives deep into a major aspect of Ethereum's roadmap:
Part One: The Merge: What Improvements Can Be Made to Ethereum PoS
Part Two: The Surge: Vitalik: How the Ethereum Protocol Should Evolve in the Surge Phase
Part Three: The Scourge: Vitalik: Key Goals of Ethereum's Scourge Phase
Part Four: The Verge: Vitalik: Possible Future of Ethereum The Verge
Part Five: The Purge: Vitalik: Possible Future of the Ethereum Protocol—The Purge
Part Six: The Splurge: Vitalik: Possible Future of the Ethereum Protocol—The Splurge
Not surprisingly, these are some of the most fundamental works we've seen throughout Ethereum's history; that is to say, there is still much information to understand. Before diving deep into these articles, you might find that understanding the key points of each major upgrade helps you grasp Vitalik's technical writings on Ethereum's roadmap better.
To this end, here is a quick-start guide to help you quickly understand the fundamentals of each major upgrade.
The Merge
This upgrade was completed in 2022, marking Ethereum's transition from proof of work (PoW) to proof of stake (PoS), reducing energy consumption by 99% and enhancing network security through staking. However, Vitalik Buterin stated that upgrades related to The Merge are ongoing.
The goal moving forward is to speed up transaction confirmation times, reducing the wait to 4 seconds. Vitalik stated that another goal related to The Merge is to lower the staking requirement from 32 ETH to 1 ETH, allowing more people to participate and help secure the network.
By speeding up confirmation times and making it easier for everyone to stake, Ethereum will become more decentralized without compromising its security.
The Surge
The purpose of Surge is to make Ethereum faster and more scalable, aiming to process over 100,000 transactions per second (TPS). This will be accomplished through optimizing layer 2 and improving data storage techniques.
A crucial part of The Surge is EIP-4844, which will be introduced in the early 2024 Dencun upgrade; it adds 'blobs'—new block space for storing L2 data.
Next, the upcoming Pectra upgrade in 2025 is expected to enhance how Ethereum manages these blobs, increasing network bandwidth while keeping costs low. Data compression also helps reduce transaction sizes, further improving aggregation efficiency.
These upgrades will make Ethereum more scalable while maintaining decentralization and security.
The Scourge
Scourge addresses a significant challenge: the centralization risks in Ethereum's staking and block creation processes.
Currently, block building (the process of selecting which transactions to include) favors big players using advanced algorithms to earn more money. This can lead to transaction delays or manipulation, which is detrimental to Ethereum's decentralization goals.
To address this issue, Ethereum plans to break down block building tasks into smaller, more manageable parts. A proposal called the inclusion list will allow smaller validators to ensure certain transactions are included in blocks, thereby reducing the power of large block builders.
In addition, ongoing research into encrypted mempool aims to enhance security by hiding transaction details until confirmed. The mempool is a waiting area for transactions before they are added to blocks. Currently, anyone can view these pending transactions, allowing block builders to reorder them for profit (a practice known as MEV, or maximum extractable value). With an encrypted mempool, transaction details will be hidden until confirmation, reducing the opportunity for manipulation.
Additionally, Ethereum is looking for ways to reduce staking rewards to prevent the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few large validators. These joint efforts aim to keep Ethereum decentralized and protect users from exploitation.
The Verge
Currently, running a node requires storing hundreds of GB of data, which can be a barrier for many users. The Verge aims to change this by introducing 'stateless clients' that do not need to store all data. Instead, they will rely on cryptographic proofs (Verkle trees or STARK) to validate the blockchain.
A stateless client means that even a phone or basic laptop can fully validate Ethereum. This will greatly expand who can help run and secure the network, making it more decentralized. In the long run, Ethereum aims to use cryptographic proofs to validate entire blocks so that even low-power devices can quickly confirm that everything on the blockchain is correct.
The Verge also considers replacing the Verkle tree with a more future-oriented alternative to give Ethereum quantum resistance, ensuring the network can withstand emerging technologies like quantum computing.
The Purge
Over time, the Purge plan will make Ethereum leaner and simpler.
As blockchains evolve, they often accumulate increasing amounts of data that each node must store, making it more difficult for new nodes to join the network. Purge addresses this problem by reducing the need for nodes to retain all historical data and unused protocol features.
One of the goals of Purge is historical record expiration, with old data (such as transactions and accounts) stored in a distributed manner, similar to how torrent networks operate. Each node does not store all past transactions but retains only a portion of that history, with other nodes storing different portions. This way, Ethereum can remain secure and decentralized without requiring nodes to have massive storage to join the network.
Another goal of Purge is state expiration, addressing the growth of 'state data' such as account balances and contract storage. This involves automatically deleting or archiving unused data over time, making it easier to manage Ethereum's long-term storage needs.
Additionally, the goal of Purge is to clean up old, rarely used network features and simplify the code to maintain Ethereum's efficiency and accessibility.
The Splurge
Splurge is the 'cleanup' phase of Ethereum, focusing on various improvements that may not fit neatly into other categories but are crucial for enhancing Ethereum's user experience and technical robustness.
One of the main goals of Splurge is to optimize the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) (Ethereum's core computing engine) to make it faster and more secure. This includes adding features like account abstraction, allowing users to create flexible, user-friendly accounts with advanced security options. Splurge is also dedicated to improving the transaction fee mechanism to keep costs stable and fair, even as network demand fluctuates.
Additionally, Splurge continues to explore advanced cryptographic techniques that can make Ethereum more resilient to future technological changes (such as quantum computing). These upgrades aim to create a future-oriented Ethereum, ensuring that it remains a reliable platform for decentralized applications in the long run.
Summary
These six major upgrade phases are the pillars of Ethereum's development as a carefully architected, multi-layer system balancing innovation and practicality. These phases are not isolated but interwoven, with each upgrade balancing current demands and future-oriented networks.
Through this layered approach, Ethereum is adjusting itself to become an excellent foundation for applications and interactions on a global scale—we all look forward to the types of online applications and interactions, as well as those we have yet to imagine. Along the way, the intentional design of the network will ensure that Ethereum remains adaptable, inclusive, and resilient.
