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Author: David C, William M. Peaster; compiled by: Deng Tong, Bitchain Vision
Vitalik Buterin has been writing enthusiastically this year, and as of 2024, he has published 25 posts on his blog.
It is worth noting that his latest article is part of the “Possible Future of the Ethereum Protocol” series, each delving into a major part of the Ethereum roadmap:
Part One: The Merge:What else can be improved on Ethereum PoS
Part 2: The Surge:Vitalik: How should the Ethereum protocol develop in the Surge stage
Part 3: The Scourge:Vitalik: Key objectives of the Ethereum The Scourge phase
Part 4: The Verge:Vitalik: The possible future of Ethereum The Verge
Part 5: The Purge:Vitalik: The Possible Future of the Ethereum Protocol—The Purge
Part 6: The Splurge:Vitalik: The Possible Future of the Ethereum Protocol—The Splurge
Not surprisingly, these are some of the most basic works we have seen throughout Ethereum’s history; that is, there is still a lot of information to know here.Before digging into these articles, you may find that understanding the focus of each major upgrade helps to better grasp Vitalik’s technical writing on the Ethereum roadmap.
To do this, here is a quick start guide to help you quickly understand the basics of each major upgrade.
The Merge
The upgrade, completed in 2022, marks the transition from Proof of Work (PoW) to Proof of Stake (PoS), reduces energy consumption by 99%, and enhances network security through staking.However, Vitalik Buterin said an upgrade related to The Merge is in progress.
The goal of moving forward is to speed up transaction confirmation and reduce the waiting time to 4 seconds.Another goal related to The Merge is to reduce the staking requirement from 32 ETH to 1 ETH, get more people involved and help protect the network, Vitalik said.
By speeding up confirmation and making it easier for everyone to stake, Ethereum will become more decentralized without compromising its security.
The Surge
Surge aims to make Ethereum faster and more scalable, with the goal of processing over 100,000 transactions (TPS) per second.This will be done by optimizing layer 2 and improving data storage technology.
An important part of The Surge is EIP-4844, which was introduced in the Dencun upgrade in early 2024, adding “blobs” – a new block space for storing L2 data.
Next, it is expected that when Pectra upgrades are underway in 2025, PeerDAS will enhance the way Ethereum manages these blobs, increasing network bandwidth while maintaining low costs.Data compression also helps reduce transaction size, thereby further improving aggregation efficiency.
These upgrades will make Ethereum more scalable while remaining decentralized and secure.
The Scourge
Scourge solves a major challenge: centralized risks in Ethereum staking and block creation.
Currently, building blocks (the process of choosing which transactions to do) is beneficial to big players who make more money using advanced algorithms.This may lead to transaction delays or manipulation, which is not conducive to Ethereum’s decentralized goals.
To solve this problem, Ethereum plans to divide the block building effort into smaller, more manageable parts.A proposal called Inclusion Lists will allow smaller validators to ensure that certain transactions are included in blocks, thus reducing the power of large block builders.
Additionally, ongoing crypto memory pool research aims to improve security by hiding transaction details until they are confirmed.Memory pool is the waiting area before the transaction is added to the block.Currently, anyone can view these pending transactions, which allows block builders to reorder them for profits (this practice is called MEV, i.e., the maximum extractable value).By encrypting the memory pool, transaction details will be hidden until confirmed, reducing the chance of manipulation.
In addition, Ethereum is looking for ways to reduce staking rewards to prevent excessive concentration of online 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 a “stateless client” that does not require storing all data.Instead, they will rely on cryptographic proofs (Verkle tree or STARK) to verify the blockchain.
A stateless client means that even a phone or a basic laptop can fully verify Ethereum.This will greatly expand who can help run and protect the network, making it more decentralized.In the long run, Ethereum’s goal is to use cryptographic proof to verify the entire block 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 more future-oriented alternatives, making Ethereum quantum-resistant and ensuring networks can withstand emerging technologies such as quantum computing.
The Purge
Over time, the Purge plan will make Ethereum streamlined and simpler.
As blockchains develop, they tend to accumulate more and more data, and each node must store this data, which makes it more difficult for new nodes to join the network.Purge solves this problem by reducing the need for nodes to retain all historical data and unused protocol functionality.
One of the goals of Purge is that history is expired, and old data (such as transactions and accounts) are stored in a distributed manner, similar to how torrent networks work.Each node does not store all past transactions, but only a part of that history is kept, and other nodes store other parts.This way, Ethereum can remain secure and decentralized, but nodes do not require a lot of storage to join the network.
Another goal of Purge is state expiration, which solves the growth problem of “status data” such as account balance 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, Purge’s purpose is to clean up old, rarely used network features and simplify code to keep Ethereum efficient and accessible.
The Spplurge
Splurge is the “final work” phase of Ethereum, focusing on various improvements that are not entirely suitable for other categories, but are crucial to enhancing Ethereum’s user experience and technical robustness.
One of Splurge’s main goals is to optimize the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) (Ethereum’s core computing engine) to make it faster and safer.This includes features like adding account abstraction, allowing users to create flexible, user-friendly accounts with advanced security options.Splurge is also committed to improving transaction fee mechanisms to keep costs stable and fair, even if network demand fluctuates.
In addition, Splurge continues to explore advanced encryption technologies that can make Ethereum more resilient to future technological changes, such as quantum computing.These upgrades are designed to create a future-oriented Ethereum that ensures it remains a reliable platform for decentralized applications in the long run.
Summarize
These six main upgrade stages are the pillars of the development of Ethereum as a multi-layer system that is carefully structured and balances innovation and practicality.These stages are not isolated, but intertwined, and each upgrade balances current needs with future-oriented networks.
With this layered approach, Ethereum is tweaking itself to become an excellent foundation for applications and interactions around the world – we all look forward to the types of applications and interactions online, and types we haven’t imagined yet.Along the way, the intentional design of the network will ensure Ethereum remains adaptable, inclusive and resilient.
