Infinite Jungle Ep.81 Recap

Pectra Testnet Updates:

• Holesky (Heski) Public Testnet Upgrade: Activated on February 24th, 2025 at 21:55 UTC.
• Testing Concerns: Some developers wanted more testing due to bugs in the Prysm client (related to EIP-7549).
• Decision to Proceed: Developers agreed to move forward, noting that testnets exist to catch bugs.
• Upcoming Testing: After Holesky, Sepolia testnet will follow.

Finalized Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs):

1. EIP-7872 – Max Blob Flag for Validators

• Allows resource-constrained validators (e.g., running on home hardware) to set a lower blob limit.
• Blobs (introduced in EIP-4844) help with Ethereum scaling but require high bandwidth.
• Temporary fix before PeerDAS, which will introduce blob sampling for improved efficiency.

2. EIP-7870 – Validator Hardware & Bandwidth Recommendations

• Provides a baseline for hardware requirements for validators & full nodes.
• Helps developers understand the impact of protocol changes on node operators.
• Controversy: Some developers debated whether costs should be fixed in USD or tied to staking profitability.
• Expected frequent updates as Ethereum evolves, especially with changes like PVS (Proposer-Builder Separation).