The Kintsugi 🍵 merge testnet, initiated in late December, has served as a significant testing platform for The Merge. Through various test environments, multi-client development networks, shadow forks of Goerli, application deployments, and the community’s support #TestingTheMerge, we’ve reached a collection of stable and resilient protocol specifications. Now that clients have adopted these most recent specifications, a successor to Kintsugi, Kiln 🔥🧱, is being introduced!
Similar to the Ethereum mainnet, Kiln’s execution layer was launched under proof-of-work concurrently with a Beacon Chain operating under proof-of-stake. The Merge was executed on Kiln on March 15, 2022. The network is now functioning entirely under proof-of-stake!
Kiln is anticipated to be the final merge testnet established before current public testnets undergo upgrades. Application & tooling developers, node operators, infrastructure providers, and stakers are highly encouraged to test on Kiln to facilitate a seamless transition on existing public testnets.
Kintsugi, the preceding merge testnet, will be phased out in the forthcoming weeks.
Using Kiln
Getting Started
The simplest method to start utilizing Kiln is to navigate to the network’s landing page. There, you can integrate the network into your browser wallet, explore block explorers, request funds from the faucet, and connect to a JSON RPC endpoint. If you’re interested in becoming a validator on Kiln, the staking launchpad also accommodates the network.
Application & Tooling Developers
With Kiln becoming operational, now is the moment to verify that your product performs reliably during the proof-of-stake transition and within a post-merge scenario. As discussed in a prior post, The Merge will have only minimal effects on certain contracts deployed on Ethereum, none of which should encounter breaking changes. Furthermore, the majority of user API endpoints will remain stable (unless you are utilizing PoW specific methods such as eth_getWork).
However, many applications on Ethereum encompass much more than just on-chain contracts. Kiln is the place to ensure that your frontend code, tools, deployment pipeline, and other off-chain components function as expected. We strongly recommend that developers conduct a comprehensive testing & deployment cycle on Kiln and report any issues with tools or dependencies to the maintainers of those projects. If you’re uncertain about where to lodge a complaint, please utilize this repository.
Node Operators
Following the merge, an Ethereum full node will consist of a consensus layer client, which operates proof-of-stake on the Beacon Chain, and an execution layer client, which handles the user state and executes the computations linked to transactions. These will interact over an authenticated port utilizing a new array of JSON RPC methods, termed the Engine API.
Consequently, node operators will need to run both a consensus and execution layer client concurrently. In simpler terms, if you have been operating a node on the Beacon Chain, you now also need to run an execution layer client. Likewise, if you were running a node on the existing proof-of-work network, you will need to run a consensus layer client.
You can locate the latest Kiln-compatible release of clients here.
It is crucial to highlight that each layer will maintain its own independent set of peers and provide its own APIs. The Beacon and JSON RPC APIs will thus continue to operate as anticipated.
Stakers
As noted earlier, validators on the Beacon Chain will be required to run an execution layer client after The Merge. Prior to the merge, this was highly advisable, but it was feasible for validators to delegate these duties to third-party providers. This was attainable because the only information needed on the execution layer was updates to the deposit contract.
After the merge, validators must ensure that the transactions in blocks they create and attest are valid. To achieve this, an execution layer client is necessary. While this broadens validators’ responsibilities, it also grants a validator who proposes a block the rights to its corresponding transaction priority fees (which currently go to miners).
While validator rewards accumulate on the Beacon Chain and will necessitate a future upgrade to be withdrawn, transaction fees will still be paid, burned, and allocated on the execution layer. Validators can therefore indicate any Ethereum address as a recipient for transaction fees.
Kiln is an ideal environment for current stakers to acclimatize themselves with the post-merge Ethereum landscape. We suggest attempting to replicate your production setup on the network and resolving any issues now.
Once more, the staking launchpad offers an uncomplicated interface to begin. Be aware that as a part of the rebranding from “eth2.0”, the ethereum/eth2.0-deposit-cli repository will soon be rebranded to ethereum/staking-deposit-cli.
FAQ
wen merge?
A date for the Ethereum mainnet proof-of-stake transition has notbeen established as of the release of this article. Any reference suggesting otherwise is probably a fraud. Updates will be shared on this blog. Please keep safe!
Assuming no complications are discovered with Kiln, once clients have completed the specifics of their implementations, the current Ethereum testnets (Goerli, Ropsten, etc.) will proceed through The Merge. When these have successfully switched and stabilized, again, assuming no complications arise, a difficulty value will be established for the mainnet transition. Only at that point will it be feasible to predict the precise date for The Merge.
As an Ethereum user or Ether holder, is there anything I should do?
No. If you wish to experiment with Kiln, feel free. We hope numerous community members will participate in #TestingTheMerge on Kiln.
The Ethereum mainnet remains unaffected by this testnet. Future announcements will be made on this blog prior to the mainnet’s transition.
As a miner, is there anything I should do?
No. If you are mining on the Ethereum mainnet, you should know that following The Merge, the network will function entirely under proof-of-stake. At that junction, mining will no longer be feasible on the network.
As a validator, can I withdraw my stake?
No. The Merge is the most intricate upgrade to Ethereum thus far. To mitigate the risks of network disruptions, a conservative approach was adopted which excluded any non-transition modifications from this upgrade.
Withdrawals from the Beacon Chain will probably be accessible starting from the first upgrade after The Merge. Specifications for both the consensus and execution layers are currently underway.
What’s the significance of Kiln?
The previous merging testnet, Kintsugi, was named after the Japanese technique of mending ceramics and reinforcing them with gold, rendering them both more resilient and aesthetically pleasing.
In a similar spirit, a Kiln is a high-temperature furnace employed to transform clay into solid forms, such as ceramics or bricks 🔥🧱.
