Ever since the idea of the launch of a new Hard Fork “Merge” was proposed for Ethereum, things have become very interesting for Ethereum users.
The users have been waiting anxiously for the new Hard Fork to be put in place so they can benefit from the new protocol.
The idea that was proposed back in 2020 has been nothing less than a test of people’s patience ever since work began on the “Merge”.
Final Merge Testnet Put in Place
Finally, things have started getting into shape for the Merge as it has entered its final testnet phase. Soon, Merge’s testnet phase will be over and it will be ready for its mainnet phase in September.
The news confirming the third and final deployment of Merge’s testnet has just come in. It has been confirmed that the implementation of the final testnet was successful.
Once the time period for the third/final testnet is complete, it will be ready for the mainnet implementation.
It also means that Ethereum’s consensus protocol (orientation) will change from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS).
Third Testnet on Goerli
As communicated by Ethereum, the third testnet has gone live on Goerli. The team working on the implementation of the testnet has confirmed everything went smooth and according to plan.
The third testnet is also being referred to as “dress rehearsal” for the Merge. Once the testnet phase is over, the next step would be the implementation of the mainnet.
The mainnet for the Merge is expected to take place by the end of September and until then, the third phase for the mainnet will remain active.
Transition Date and Time
The data confirms that the transitioning of the consensus protocol from PoW to PoS took place on August 11 at @1:45 UTC.
The transitioning happened just when the TTD (Terminal Total Difficulty) went on to exceed 10,790,000.
Bellatrix Upgrade to Get Protocol All Set up for Third Testnet
It was announced by Ethereum on July 27 that the Bellatrix had been upgraded to Prater, the beacon chain for Goerli. This was done to ready the protocol for the third testnet implementation.
Following the upgradation and activation on August 4, the final step was the launch of the Goerli testnet. The upgradation would allow the protocol to work on the PoS chain.
With the implementation of the final testnet phase, Ethereum is now close to the implementation of the Merge. Prior to Goerli testnets, there were Ropsten and Sepolia that were successfully implemented and tested.
Once the mainnet for Merge is implemented, things will change entirely for Ethereum and its users.
