The Ethereum community is mobilizing to increase the network’s gas limit, a key parameter that determines how many transactions can be processed in a single block.
On December 19, the number of validators that indicated support for an increase in the gas limit beyond 30 million reached 10% of the network, marking a significant step forward compared to a percentage of less than 1% recorded before December.
What is the gas limit in Ethereum?
The gas in Ethereum represents the amount of computational power required to execute transactions or smart contracts. Each block on the Ethereum network has a gas limit, which defines how many transactions can be included.
Currently, the standard limit is about 30 million gas per block. This parameter directly affects the network’s ability to handle a high volume of transactions.
Increasing the gas limit means allowing the processing of more transactions per block, potentially reducing costs and waiting times. However, this change could involve risks, such as increased pressure on the network nodes.
The increase in the gas limit has been a debated topic in the Ethereum community. In December, a growing movement pushed the validators, namely the operators who maintain the network’s security, to signal support for a limit higher than 30 million gas.
This mobilization occurred in response to the growing demand for scalability on the Ethereum network (ETH), especially following the transition to proof-of-stake (PoS) and the continued adoption of decentralized applications (dApp) and NFT.
The jump from 1% to 10% of validators supporting a higher limit represents a significant change in attitude, indicating a growing awareness of the potential benefits of this modification.
Benefits and risks of a higher gas limit
An increase in the gas limit presents obvious advantages, such as:
Greater network capacity: more transactions per block mean less congestion and a better user experience.
Reduction of transaction fees: with more space in the blocks, Ethereum fees could decrease, making the network more competitive compared to other blockchains.
Incentives for developers: a higher gas limit would allow the development of more complex and innovative applications.
However, there are also concerns related to this change. A higher gas limit could increase the computational load on the nodes, risking further centralizing the network, as the hardware requirements for validators would become more demanding.
The road to a more scalable Ethereum
The recent support from the validators reflects the community’s willingness to address the challenges related to scalability.
However, an increase in the gas limit does not represent a definitive solution. Ethereum is developing other technologies, such as sharding and layer 2 solutions, to improve scalability without compromising decentralization.
The increase in the gas limit could serve as a temporary solution to meet immediate demand, while long-term implementations come into play.
The growing support from Ethereum validators for an increase in the gas limit underscores the dynamism and adaptability of the network to user needs.
With 10% of the network in favor, the Ethereum community is preparing for a possible change that could improve transaction processing capacity. However, it remains essential to balance short-term benefits with long-term sustainability and decentralization.
