Ethereum Launches Proof of Stake Beacon Testnet

Etheruem network developers have kept their March deadline intact with the launch of its Proof of Stake (PoS) Beacon testnet. The Ethereum network is planning to move from Proof of work to Proof of stake for its Etheruem 2.0, and the recent launch is a clear message that the development work is on track.

The beacon PoS testnet was deployed by Nimbus who is Ethereum 2.0 deployment client for the blockchain. Nimbus in its announcement said that the launch is not just a simulation but a proper chain with which the community can connect to it even if they are outside the mainnet.

The Nimbus deployed Proof of stake testnet is not just a machine based stimulation, but a practical testnet where the selected few can connect to provide constructive feedback as well.

The developers behind the network believe the recent deployment as a significant feat and a big stride towards the Ethereum 2.0 project. However, the developers also noted that the testnet might be filled with bugs and have certain instability issue, but that is common in the initial phases of testnet. Nimbus also assured that the testnet is synchronized with the main network and with all the nodes of the Ethereum. The testnet nodes are not isolated or local to each other.

The Nimbus group believes it to be a significant feat as the synchronization would help the developers to find the limitations of the testnet faster and find the solution faster with respect to real-world deployment. Here is an excerpt from the announcement made by Nimbus group,

“This is a major milestone in the development of Ethereum 2.0, and while stability issues persist and bugs will happen, the fact that we now have a Beacon chain synchronizing across nodes that aren’t necessarily local to each other is a big deal.”

The PoS based Deployment Would Happen in Stages

The recent launch of PoS based testnet is one of the biggest upgrades since its inception. The deployment of PoS based consensus would happen in phases. The current Beacon testnet phase is Phase 0, which will be followed by storage sharding in phase 1 and the final stage would focus on increasing the storage capacity of the Ethereum network.

The current Beacon testnet has been named testnet0 which will be followed by a number of additional functionalities on the network with time. The Nimbus group in its announcement said,

“We’ve named it testnet0 – this is the first in a series of tenets that will follow, each adding new features, scale, and stability. During the first weeks, testnet0 will be frequently restarted to incorporate what we learn from feedback and monitoring.”