Ethereum developers delayed Pectra update due to errors in tests
Ethereum developers delayed Pectra update due to errors in tests
After two failed tests, the Ethereum team decided to spend more time collecting data for the upcoming Pectra upgrade.
Margot Nijkerk | Edited by Sam Kessler Updated March 6, 2025, 18:10 UTC Published March 6, 2025, 16:52 UTC
What you need to know:
- After two failed tests of Pectra, Ethereum's biggest upgrade since 2024, the network's developers have decided to delay the release until additional tests are completed.
- The decision to delay was made after bugs were discovered in Pectra tests on Holesky and Sepolia, the two main Ethereum testnets. The bugs were due to improper test setups, not to Pectra itself.
- A new temporary testnet will be created to give developers more time to experiment with Pectra before the update launches.
After two failed tests of Pectra, Ethereum's biggest upgrade since 2024, the network's developers decided on Thursday to delay the upgrade until more testing is completed.
Pectra, planned amid increasing competition from other blockchains, includes a set of updates aimed at improving Ethereum's speed and ease of use.
When the developers set the dates for Pectra testing in January, they agreed to hold a call on Thursday, March 6 to set a date for Pectra's mainnet launch. If all went according to plan, the update was expected in March.
The decision to delay was made after Pectra's tests on Holesky and Sepolia revealed errors. The problems were due to incorrect test settings, not Pectra itself.
Normally, these two tests would be enough. However, due to the bugs, developers decided on Thursday that Pectra should undergo additional testing before it is launched on the Ethereum mainnet.
“It seems like we need more information before we can set a definitive date,” said Alex Stokes, a researcher at the Ethereum Foundation who chaired Thursday’s conference.
As for what's next, developers decided on Thursday to create a “shadow fork” of the Holesky testnet, which has been down since the last Pectra update. Configuration issues with the Pectra testnet have caused many Holesky validators to go offline, meaning the network can no longer process transactions correctly.
A shadow fork is a temporary copy of a blockchain network that is removed when it is no longer needed. Holesky is an important testing ground for Ethereum developers, and the shadow fork will allow some key stakeholders — like staking pools and application developers — to test their code on Pectra while the Holesky mainnet is being fixed.
“Anyone who wants to test Holesky can do it there,” Stokes concluded on Thursday’s call. In the meantime, developers will be working to restore and relaunch the Holesky mainnet, which will require the 67% of validators that run the network to reconfigure their systems and come back online.
Once Holesky is back up and running — meaning it starts adding and recording transactions as normal — “we’ll have more data to decide on next steps for the mainnet and the launch of Pectra,” Stokes said. The developers expect Holesky to resume normal operations around March 28.
Pectra Improvements
Pectra will be one of the most ambitious changes to the blockchain to date, aimed at improving the usability for both users,
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