Ethereum Merge: Core Developer Explains Changes to Expect

Tim Beiko, an Ethereum core developer, has given a set of recommendations and expectations for Ethereum application and protocol developers ahead of the impending merge.

Beiko advised ordinary app and protocol users to test things out to verify that nothing breaks when additional tests are run. “Run stuff, if something is unclear or broken, leave a comment,” he tweeted on Tuesday. He also urged users and developers to “pay attention and make sure you are ready” for the Merge.

The Merge is the very complex and long-awaited conversion from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus on the Ethereum network. It will be known as the Consensus Layer at that time, and it is slated to happen around August of this year.

On numerous testnets, the focus has been on ensuring that there are no cross-client concerns and that current apps do not fail completely after the Merge. In a separate Twitter thread, Beiko noted that such issues are unlikely to arise because “99% of modifications affect the protocol layer,” while “virtually no changes are done to the application layer.”

He also stated that developers should be aware that there will be two major changes to how smart contracts function with the Merge. To begin, he reminded them that the approach for beacon randomization, which aids in the running of programs, will be altered. This was announced in an Ethereum Foundation (EF) update in November and would be required for the migration to PoS.

The second modification will be a reduction in block timings from 13 to 12 seconds per block. Smart contracts that utilize block production speed as a measure of time will run one second faster after the Merge as a result of this change.

However, Beiko exuded confidence that, despite the Merge’s delays, all potential difficulties had been condensed into a single echelon. “Aside from cross-client testing and these two edge cases, the biggest risk of disruption is in ‘tooling and infra pipelines.’”

He concluded by stating that if any further vulnerabilities occur during the extensive testing and shadow forks, the Merge would be postponed further to guarantee the network’s security: “At any point, if we find issues, we’ll obviously take the time to fix + address them before moving forward. Only then will we think about moving mainnet to proof of stake.”

On Monday, DeceDeFi instructor Korpi revealed on Twitter that Ether (ETH) staked on the Beacon Chain can no longer be unlocked without a network update after the Merge. This includes staking-related prizes assuring ETH investors who are concerned that their coins will be released and dumped to relax

He also indicated that once coins are unlocked, they would be delivered in stages rather than all at once, and that those coins are typically an investor’s “never-sell stack” that will not be sold.

On the Beacon Chain, there are presently 12.6 million ETH staked. The Beacon Chain, which began in December 2020, was one of the initial moves toward turning Ethereum a PoS network.