The new network will replace the project’s current Goerli test network.
In a meeting on August 17th, Ethereum developers discussed developments about ‘Holesky’, a new test network planned to be launched on September 15th.
DevOps at Ethereum Foundation, Parithosh Jayanthi, mentioned that developers have tested 1.4 million validators in the Holesky test network and were able to terminate the network. Jayanthi stated that this is now suggested as the starting size for the test network.
Jayanthi also asked the developers how many test network tokens should be in circulation in Holesky. Considering that large amounts were supported in test networks before, Ethereum developers decided to introduce 1.6 billion Holesky ETH into circulation. Developers briefly considered matching this number with the Ethereum mainnet’s supply of 120 million ETH, but they decided against it.
Holesky Starts Mid-September
GitHub documentation shows that Holesky will start at 14:00 UTC on September 15, 2023. This date coincidentally was the launch date for Ethereum’s Merge in 2022.
The test network will remain in use for several years, with long-term service (LTS) support extending until 2027 and end-of-life (EOL) support lasting until 2028.
The documentation also states that Holesky will replace Ethereum’s Goerli test network, which was introduced in 2019 as Ethereum was preparing to launch proof-of-stake features. Goerli, Holesky, and the current Ethereum mainnet all operate as proof-of-stake chains. However, the two test networks do not use ETH tokens with real market value.
Holesky will also pave the way for two future Ethereum upgrades, namely an execution layer update called Cancun and a consensus layer update called Deneb.
