Ethereum Developers Introduce Hoodi Testnet for Upcoming Pectra Upgrade

According to CoinDesk, Ethereum developers have launched a new test network named Hoodi, which will facilitate the blockchain's forthcoming 'Pectra' upgrade. Scheduled to go live on Hoodi on March 26, the upgrade is expected to transition to Ethereum's mainnet approximately 30 days later, contingent on successful testing outcomes. The creation of Hoodi follows unsuccessful Pectra tests on Ethereum’s other testnets, Holesky and Sepolia, which encountered configuration issues preventing proper finalization. These test networks, including Hoodi, are designed to replicate the main Ethereum network, providing developers a low-risk environment to trial code changes or significant upgrades like Pectra before mainnet deployment. Initially, the Pectra upgrade was intended to activate on Ethereum after the tests on Holesky and Sepolia. However, due to complications, developers opted to establish Hoodi for another round of testing the ambitious Pectra upgrade. Hoodi is also anticipated to serve future testing needs. Hoodi mirrors Ethereum’s mainnet by maintaining an equivalent number of validators on its network. Ethereum core developer Parithosh Jayanthi highlighted during a recent Ethereum core developers call that Hoodi would be instrumental for Ethereum staking pools and node operators to evaluate their infrastructure. Holesky and Sepolia were constructed with distinct objectives: Holesky features a larger validator set than Ethereum’s mainnet, aimed at addressing scalability challenges, while Sepolia is a closed network exclusively for developers, intended for application testing. The Pectra upgrade encompasses a series of enhancements designed to improve Ethereum's usability and efficiency for both developers and end-users. Notably, it introduces "smart contract" capabilities that could enable wallets to pay gas fees using cryptocurrencies other than ether (ETH).