Ethereum Completes Fusaka Upgrade With Final Blob Parameter Adjustment
a day ago
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Ethereum has successfully concluded the final phase of its recent Fusaka upgrade with the rollout of the second "Blob Parameters Only" (BPO) fork. This adjustment enhances the network's data availability and demonstrates the effectiveness of phased, smaller network updates. The BPO mechanism allows for efficient, independent tuning of specific network parameters, such as blob targets, enabling a gradual and safe increase in network load testing.
Key Takeaways
Ethereum has deployed the final "Blob Parameters Only" fork as part of the Fusaka upgrade.
This update increases the maximum number of blobs per block to 21.
The changes aim to improve data availability for Layer 2 networks and reduce transaction costs.
Understanding Blobs and Data Availability
Blobs, introduced with the Dencun upgrade in 2024, are temporary, large data containers crucial for Layer 2 (L2) rollups. They enable L2s to record transaction batches cheaply on the Ethereum mainnet. These "Binary Large OBjects" are retained for 18 days before permanent deletion.
The Fusaka upgrade incorporated several Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) focused on enhancing Ethereum's data availability layer. A significant component was the upgrade to PeerDAS, which allows nodes to verify blob data by examining smaller data samples. The BPO mechanism was also introduced to gradually scale blob limits.
Incremental Scaling of Blob Limits
The first BPO fork, activated shortly after Fusaka went live, raised the target blobs per block from six to 10 and the maximum from nine to 15. The most recent fork, deployed on Wednesday, further increases these limits, setting the target at 14 blobs per block and the maximum cap at 21.
Benefits for Layer 2 Networks
This increase in blob capacity directly translates to greater data availability for L2 networks. By incrementally raising the per-block blob limits, Ethereum effectively reduces data costs for rollups. This reduction is vital for keeping transaction fees on L2s low, even as network activity grows, thereby ensuring sustainable scaling in response to demand.
Sources
Ethereum rolls out final planned Blob Parameters Only fork as final step in Fusaka upgrade, The Block.