Sepolia has become the second Ethereum testnet to undergo a dress rehearsal for the upcoming Shanghai upgrade.
This upgrade will bring users one step closer to being able to withdraw their staked ETH, which has been locked up on the platform. The dress rehearsal on Sepolia will allow developers to test the new feature and ensure that it works as intended before the upgrade is implemented on the main Ethereum network. Once the Shanghai upgrade is live, users will be able to withdraw their staked ETH, providing greater flexibility and accessibility to the platform.
As per the schedule, the Shanghai-Capella upgrade, also known as Shapella, was launched at epoch 56832 at 4:04 AM UTC and was completed at 4:17 AM UTC on February 28. During this testing phase, one of the main Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) was assessed, which focused on enabling the withdrawal of staked Ethereum from the network.
Since the launch of Ethereum’s Beacon Chain in 2020 and its transition to becoming a proof-of-stake (PoS) network, over 17 million ETH has been staked on the platform. However, users have been unable to withdraw these funds. With the upcoming Shanghai upgrade scheduled for March, this feature will finally be unlocked, allowing users to withdraw their staked ETH and providing greater flexibility on the network.
After the successful dress rehearsal on Sepolia, the next simulation of the Shanghai upgrade will take place on the Goerli testnet. Once completed, the upgrade will be implemented on the Ethereum mainnet, representing a major milestone since the network’s transition from Proof-of-Work (PoW) to a PoS consensus algorithm in September 2022.
Testnets like Goerli and Sepolia play a crucial role in allowing Ethereum developers to launch apps and upgrades to the network and address any potential issues before the upgrade goes live on the mainnet. As was demonstrated on the Zhejiang testnet earlier this month, the simulation provides validators with an opportunity to test the withdrawal features and ensure they work as intended.
