The Ethereum network has hit yet another major milestone, with the Merge successfully taking place on the Ropsten testnet. This is one of the final steps before the Merge on the Ethereum mainnet that will take place later this year and fully transition the blockchain from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake.
The move sets the stage for a full transition to Proof-of-Stake for the network, as Ropsten is one of the three testnets to experience the Beacon chain merge. Ethereum first announced that Ropsten would undergo the Merge earlier in the week, news of which resulted in celebration within the crypto community.
Ropsten testnet Merge works smoothly
The Merge results in the beacon chain, the Proof-of-Stake chain, merging with Ropsten’s previously Proof-of-Work chain. This Merge, as was the case with Merges on other testnets, is meant to check if the upgrade works without any glitches. All of these steps are to ensure that the eventual Merge on Ethereum mainnet goes off without a hitch.
We have some transactions included in post-merge Ropsten blocks 🥳 h/t @Butta_eth https://t.co/siB78qq1gG pic.twitter.com/PlPlojdN3E
— timbeiko.eth (@TimBeiko) June 8, 2022
There has been no date set yet for the real Merge. It has been confirmed to happen later this year, and if it goes as smoothly as testnet Merges, Ethereum will have executed one of its biggest changes without major hiccups.
Getting closer to Proof-of-Stake
Ethereum’s efforts with the transition so far have been encouraging. Ether (ETH) staking has increased steadily, and considerably, over the past few months. Currently, there is a total of 13.4 million ETH staked, which is over 10% of the total supply. The final Merge should take place in late Q3 or early Q4 2022, according to Vitalik Buterin himself. However, it may happen as early as August if there are no issues.
The developments following the Merge are even more promising. While it focuses on consensus and sustainability, the scaling method of sharding will follow soon and truly benefit all Ethereum users. The network is taking a methodical, steady approach to its development, which so far has been effective.
