Glamsterdam: The largest Ethereum hard fork since The Merge enters its final stage
Development of the long-awaited Ethereum network upgrade, codenamed Glamsterdam, has officially entered its final phase. Currently, all planned Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) have been integrated and are undergoing active testing before the launch of public testnets. Although the exact activation date for the mainnet has not yet been set, the estimated timeline points to the second half of 2026.
Scope and Significance of the Upgrade
A leading Ethereum Foundation developer described Glamsterdam as likely the most significant network upgrade since the transition to Proof-of-Stake (The Merge) in 2022. This fork does not merely introduce cosmetic changes but fundamentally restructures key mechanisms of the blockchain's operation.
The update includes several critically important EIPs:
- EIP-7732 (ePBS): Implementation of a mechanism to separate roles between validators and block builders. This will enhance decentralization and security by eliminating a single point of failure in the block creation process.
- EIP-7928 (Block-level Access Lists): Introduction of access lists at the block level, which will optimize interaction with the network state and reduce the load on nodes, speeding up transaction processing.
- Large-scale Gas Repricing: A fundamental change in gas limits for various operations. This will affect the cost of calling contracts, storing data, and other actions, making the network more efficient and predictable for users.
Expert Analysis: If The Merge changed the network's consensus, Glamsterdam addresses the issue of its scalability and censorship resistance at the architectural level. ePBS is a key element for future Layer 2 (L2) solutions, as it lays the foundation for more efficient interaction between L1 and L2. However, such large-scale changes require thorough auditing and testing—rushing here would be a fatal mistake. Personally, I expect the fork to become a catalyst for a new wave of interest in Ethereum as a platform for complex DeFi protocols, although investors should be prepared for temporary volatility during the testnet deployment period.