Ethereum Retires Holesky Test Network Due to Pectra Upgrade Challenges

Ethereum is preparing to retire its largest test network, Holesky, following challenges encountered during the testing of the upcoming Pectra upgrade. The Ethereum Foundation (EF) announced in a blog post that the network, which serves as a controlled environment for testing Ethereum infrastructure and upgrades, will begin its shutdown process, with a complete deactivation expected by September 30. The newly launched Hoodi test network, which went live on Monday, will take over Holesky's functions.
The decision to deprecate Holesky comes after the network went offline in February due to issues with the Pectra update test. Although Holesky was restored in March, it continued to experience problems, including "inactivity leaks" that hindered its validator apparatus. The EF explained that the exit queue for validators on Holesky is so large that it would take approximately one year for all exited validators to be fully removed, making it impractical for testing the full validator lifecycle within a reasonable timeframe.
Ethereum utilizes test networks to allow developers to implement and test code changes before deploying them to the main network. These test networks replicate the mainnet environment, enabling developer teams and infrastructure providers to experiment with new software in a lower-stakes setting. Holesky was specifically designed for testing by Ethereum's validator ecosystem, supporting a large number of validators to simulate near-real network conditions. It was intended to model conditions with its support for 1.4 million validators, more than other test networks like Goerli or even the real Ethereum network.
Currently, Holesky is used by validators and staking providers, but the Hoodi network will now serve this function. Hoodi went live earlier this week and is scheduled to test the Pectra upgrade on March 26. If the test proceeds smoothly, developers plan to implement Pectra on Ethereum’s mainnet 30 days later. Tim Beiko, the protocol support lead at the EF, welcomed the new testnet, stating, "Stakers, this is your new testing ground."

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