Ethereum Foundation Pulls the Plug on Holesky Testnet as Fusaka Upgrade Approaches!

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Ah, the mighty Ethereum Foundation, ever the harbinger of change, declared with all the fanfare of a town crier on Sept. 1 that the Holesky testnet is to be unceremoniously retired. It seems it has reached its preordained “sunset date” just in time for the looming, much-anticipated “Fusaka” network upgrade. What a coincidence, right?

Ah, Holesky! Launched back in September 2023, it was a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed testnet meant to give developers a safe space to experiment with Ethereum blockchain’s shiny new features and services. Its primary role? To give staking infrastructure and validator operations a nice little stress test. And what a test it was! Much like a carriage ride through a muddy field, it was bumpy, but ultimately, it did the job.

Per the Ethereum Foundation’s blog (written with the solemnity of a church sermon, no less), Holesky served its purpose. Thousands of validators gallivanted through it, testing protocol upgrades like Dencun and, more recently, the Pectra upgrade. Oh, and what a show they put on!

Holesky’s Delightful Disasters: A Prelude to New Testing Frameworks

But, my dear friends, as all good stories go, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. During the testing of Pectra in February and March 2025, Holesky experienced some *ahem* “critical failures.” These failures were of the kind that you’d expect if you handed your house keys to a forgetful ghost. The network forgot to specify the right smart contract addresses for Pectra Request Hash Calculations. You know, minor details-*like the very foundation of the testnet*-which led to post-launch disruptions and delays in finalization. Who could have seen that coming? 😅

Enter, stage left, the Hoodi testnet, which burst onto the scene in March, rescuing Ethereum’s reputation and providing developers with a clearer view of what a proper testnet should look like. And, as they say, the show must go on! Ethereum development marched forward, allowing the brave developers to spot those pesky issues before they reached the wide-eyed public with their Fusaka upgrade in November. *Bravo!*

And so, the Holesky testnet, bless its little bits and bytes, will soon fade into obscurity. Developers are now being gently nudged to migrate all their work to the Hoodi environment, which is set to take over like a beloved new king in a Shakespearean play. A noble upgrade indeed!

Now, take note! When the Fusaka upgrade rolls out in November, any poor, unfortunate validator node still clinging to Holesky will have exactly two weeks to jump ship and move to one of the remaining testnets. After this period of grace, Holesky will be dropped like a hot potato by client, testing, and infrastructure teams. No more Holesky. C’est la vie!

The remaining testnets, however, are poised to take the spotlight: Sepolia (the testing ground for applications and tooling), Ephemery (which resets every 28 days, because why not?), and the aforementioned Hoodi testnet, which is now the crown jewel of Ethereum’s testing phase. Developers, take heed, for the time has come to embrace the future. 🌟

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2025-09-02 00:55