Ethereum is preparing to decommission its largest testnet, Holesky, marking the end of an era for the network that has been instrumental in testing staking infrastructure and validator operations. The shutdown is planned to occur shortly after the finalization of the Fusaka upgrade, signaling a strategic shift towards newer, more robust testing environments.
Key Takeaways
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Holesky, launched in September 2023, will be shut down two weeks after the Fusaka upgrade is finalized.
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The migration is to the Hoodi testnet, which was introduced earlier this year to address issues encountered on Holesky.
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The Ethereum Foundation recommends Sepolia for smart contract and dApp testing.
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The Fusaka upgrade, scheduled for early November, aims to improve data availability for rollups.
Holesky's Purpose and Planned Shutdown
Holesky was established to facilitate large-scale testing of Ethereum's staking infrastructure and validator operations. It played a crucial role in testing significant protocol upgrades, including Dencun and Pectra. However, the testnet experienced "extensive inactivity leaks" in early 2025, leading to prolonged exit queues that hampered its effectiveness for lifecycle testing.
In response to these challenges, the Ethereum Foundation launched the Hoodi testnet in March 2025. Hoodi is designed to provide a clean testing environment, free from the issues that plagued Holesky, and will support future protocol upgrades, including the upcoming Fusaka fork. The foundation has urged staking operators and infrastructure providers to migrate their testing activities to Hoodi.
Transition to Hoodi and Future Upgrades
The decommissioning of Holesky is part of Ethereum's ongoing commitment to network improvement and user experience. While Holesky served its purpose, the community is now focusing on Hoodi as the primary environment for staking and validator testing. For developers working on smart contracts and decentralized applications, the Ethereum Foundation recommends using the Sepolia testnet.
The Fusaka upgrade, also known as Fulu-Osaka, is slated for early November. This significant hard fork aims to enhance how rollups access data by distributing data availability workloads more efficiently among network validators. This is expected to simplify node operation, bolster network decentralization, and improve layer-2 scalability by enabling faster and cheaper transaction processing for rollups. Fusaka will incorporate 11 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs).
Looking further ahead, the Glamsterdam upgrade is anticipated in 2026, potentially including a proposal to halve block times to six seconds by separating block validation from execution. This would allow more time for provers to generate zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zk-EVM) proofs.
Sources
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Ethereum To Sunset Biggest Testnet Holešky Soon, Cointelegraph.
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Ethereum to shut down its biggest testnet Holesky after Fusaka fork — TradingView News, TradingView.
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Ethereum Winds Down Holešky Testnet as Hoodi Takes Lead, The Crypto Times.
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