The final dress rehearsal for Ethereum’s forthcoming Pectra upgrade took place on Wednesday, as the blockchain’s most significant modifications in over a year underwent an additional round of testing after previous setbacks.
This upgrade on the new Hoodi testnet was closely monitored, particularly since two earlier trials on the Holesky and Sepolia test networks did not achieve proper finalization.
In response to those issues, developers established a new testnet, Hoodi, to provide ecosystem participants—especially staking providers—with one last opportunity to test before the Pectra upgrade is implemented on Ethereum’s mainnet.
The test involved sending a series of code updates to Hoodi that aim to enhance user experience for both end-users and developers. One key enhancement allows wallet developers to incorporate smart contract capabilities into their software, enabling features such as the ability to pay transaction fees in various cryptocurrencies beyond ether (ETH).
Testnets serve as duplicates of a primary blockchain, allowing developers to experiment with significant code changes in a low-risk environment where they can identify and fix any bugs before they affect the mainnet.
Hoodi was the final of three testnets to simulate Pectra. Developers had previously stated that if everything went smoothly on Wednesday, the Pectra upgrade would be observed for around 30 more days before being activated on Ethereum’s mainnet.
Learn more: Introducing Hoodi: A New Testnet for Ethereum