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Ethereum Foundation warns tools may break with Glamsterdam upgrade

Created at 18 Aug · 5:21 AM1 source↑ Market-relevant
IN SHORT

The Ethereum Foundation has alerted developers that certain tools, including wallets and gas estimators, may cease to function correctly due to upcoming gas model changes in the Glamsterdam upgrade. Developers are advised to test their systems on the Plataberget testnet.

Key Numbers

21,000gas for plain ETH transfer to existing account

Who's Involved

Ethereum Foundation
warned about potential tool breakage due to upgrade
Protocol DevOps team
issued the warning and urged developers to test

↳ Why This Matters

This warning is crucial for developers and users of the Ethereum network as it highlights potential disruptions to essential tools and services, emphasizing the need for proactive updates to ensure smooth operation post-upgrade.

Key facts

  • The Ethereum Foundation warned that the upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade will introduce gas-model changes.
  • Tools like wallets, indexers, and gas estimators may break if they rely on hardcoded gas limits.
  • A new state-gas dimension will be introduced for operations that create new state.
  • Sending ETH to a new account will incur an additional state-gas charge beyond the standard 21,000 gas.
  • Developers are advised to test their systems on the Plataberget testnet before the upgrade.
  • The Glamsterdam upgrade is scheduled to activate on the network on Thursday.

The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has issued a warning that certain tools within the Ethereum ecosystem, such as wallets, indexers, and gas estimators, may experience disruptions due to significant changes in the gas model with the upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade. The EF's Protocol DevOps team stated that any tool hardcoded with a maximum gas limit will likely break and necessitate updates.

Developers are strongly encouraged to conduct thorough testing on Plataberget, a public testnet designated for this purpose and expected to operate for several months. The Plataberget testnet was launched on August 13, according to upgrade tracker Forkcast. The Glamsterdam fork itself is slated for activation on the main network this Thursday, preceding its deployment on the Sepolia and Hoodi testnets.

The core of the issue lies in EIP-8037, which will introduce a distinct state-gas dimension. This dimension is specifically for operations that result in the creation of new state. Consequently, while a standard ETH transfer to an already existing account will continue to cost 21,000 gas, sending ETH to a newly created account will incur an additional state-gas charge. The foundation advises developers to review their software, particularly any that assumes 21,000 gas is sufficient for all ETH transfers or relies solely on a single gas dimension for cost estimations.

Beyond the gas model adjustments, the Glamsterdam upgrade also encompasses other significant changes, including enshrined proposer-builder separation, block-level access lists, and increased limits for contract and initialization-code sizes.

Frequently asked questions

Glamsterdam is an upcoming upgrade for the Ethereum network that includes changes to its gas model, proposer-builder separation, and code size limits.

Wallets, indexers, and gas estimators that rely on hardcoded maximum gas limits or a single gas dimension may break.

Plataberget is a public testnet launched on August 13, intended for developers to test their systems and ensure compatibility with the upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade changes.

It is a new dimension being introduced to measure the gas cost associated with operations that create new state on the Ethereum blockchain, such as sending ETH to a new account.

What Happens Next

01Glamsterdam fork activation on the network on Thursday.
02Deployment on Sepolia and Hoodi testnets.
03Developers testing systems on Plataberget.

How It Developed

The Ethereum Foundation warned that gas-model changes in the Glamsterdam upgrade could break some tools.
Tools relying on a hardcoded maximum gas limit will break and require updates.
Developers are urged to test their systems on the Plataberget testnet.
The Glamsterdam fork is scheduled to activate on the network on Thursday.
EIP-8037 will introduce a separate state-gas dimension for operations creating new state.
Sending ETH to a new account will incur an additional state-gas charge.
Developers should review software that assumes 21,000 gas covers all ETH transfers.

Sources

T1
Ethereum Foundation warns some tools may break with Glamsterdam upgradeDevelopers have been urged to test on Plataberget before Glamsterdam’s new gas model reaches Ethereum’s other testnets and mainnet.Cointelegraph

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