Ethereum developers will cease support for the Holesky testnet in September due to a significant exit of validators following disruptions encountered during the Pectra upgrade trials.
In a recent announcement, it was revealed that support for Ethereum’s (ETH) Holesky testnet is set to end this September. Developers will still have the opportunity to test deposits, consolidations, and other features related to Pectra on Holesky until then. Nonetheless, they are cautioned against using Holesky for testing validator exits as the exit queue is excessively long, causing delays in the testing process. Instead, it is recommended that validator exit testing be carried out on the new Hoodi testnet, which is scheduled to activate the Pectra upgrade on March 26.
The choice to discontinue support for Holesky follows significant challenges experienced during the Pectra upgrade testing phase, resulting in a mass departure of validators from the network. Although Holesky is operational again, the lengthy process of clearing the exited validators is expected to take around a year, hindering its usability for testing scenarios involving validator exits.
The phasing out of Holesky is significant as it has played a crucial role as a testnet for Ethereum network upgrade features for over two years since its launch in September 2023. Its final day of operation is scheduled for September 30. Nonetheless, the testnet may potentially be repurposed for testing gas limit increases and other protocol evaluations.
Before Holesky, Ethereum developers had already retired a few other testnets, including Kiln, Rinkeby, Ropsten, and Goerli.