Ethereum Devs Split ‘Pectra’ Upgrade for Better Stability and Lower Risk of Bugs

On Sep 20, 2024

Ethereum developers split the Pectra upgrade into two phases to enhance stability and reduce bug risks.
The first phase of Pectra, featuring EIP-7702, is expected in early 2025, with the second phase following soon after.

As expected, Ethereum developers have decided to divide their upcoming hard fork, Pectra, into two separate packages. This move aims to reduce the complexity of the massive upgrade and minimize the risk of bugs or missteps during the rollout.

Developers had previously discussed concerns about the increasing scope of Pectra, leading them to consider a split to ensure a smoother implementation.

Pectra’s Ambitious Upgrade Gets Streamlined

According to the updated schedule, Pectra will now be split into two forks. Initially, Pectra was on track to become Ethereum’s largest hard fork to date. A hard fork occurs when a blockchain splits from its original network to implement major software changes. Developers will now focus on a narrower scope, ensuring better management of the first phase of the upgrade, which remains scheduled for early 2025.

During the Ethereum All Core Developers Consensus Layer Call, it was decided that the first package would include eight Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs). Among these is EIP-7702, designed to enhance wallet user experience—a proposal famously drafted by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin in just 22 minutes.

Future Plans for Pectra’s Second Package

Ethereum Foundation researcher Alex Stokes highlighted the importance of keeping the upgrade’s scope manageable to ensure timely delivery. Stokes emphasized the need for a cautious approach, favoring a smaller, more focused upgrade to ensure the second phase could be delivered swiftly after the first part goes live:

I hear everyone; it can be tricky not to want to add new features. I would lean towards keeping the scope small, as that maximizes our chances of shipping the second fork quickly after the first.

The second package will likely undergo changes in the coming months, with potential upgrades targeting Ethereum’s Virtual Machine (EOF) and the introduction of PeerDAS, a feature designed to improve data availability sampling, which could greatly benefit layer-2 blockchains.

Furthermore, as CNF also highlighted, the Ethereum Developer Team has registered significant growth. However, developers noted that the scope of the second package could still evolve before being finalized. As of today, according to CoinMarketCap, ETH is priced at $2,473.16, up 2.64% in the past day and 4.93% in the past week. See the ETH price chart below.