Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum‘s co-founder, recently revealed an initiative known as Purge, with the goal of streamlining the Ethereum protocol and lightening the load on network nodes. Purge plays a significant role in Ethereum’s progression, focusing on discarding outdated network data and simplifying the system over time. This will effectively reduce the amount of historical data nodes must store and cut down on the necessary hard disk space for node operation, while also minimizing the protocol’s technical complexity.
The Next Steps for Ethereum
In the latest update, Buterin referenced the Denunc hard fork, which introduced changes to the Ethereum protocol that included the near-complete removal of the SELFDESTRUCT code through EIP-6780. This alteration has made the protocol less complex, improved security, and prepared for the eventual complete eradication of the SELFDESTRUCT functionality. Additionally, EIP-6780 has led to an increase in storage slots with each Ethereum block.
Moreover, Purge will implement EIP-4444, which caps the amount of historical data stored and permits nodes to discard blocks older than one year. This approach implies that only recent data is necessary for most node operations, significantly reducing the data burden on fully synchronized nodes.
Insights from Buterin on Ethereum’s Evolution
Buterin has highlighted the potential of EIP-4444 to enhance the decentralization of Ethereum nodes. He believes that by allowing nodes to store smaller portions of historical data by default, the network could maintain a similar level of historical data redundancy as it currently does. Moreover, he pointed out Geth’s recent removal of support for the pre-Merge (Proof of Work) networks, which cleared away a massive amount of obsolete code.
Buterin also touched on the diminishing necessity for precompiled Ethereum contracts, which are specialized cryptographic functions that the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) cannot directly execute. These contracts have become less in demand, and according to Buterin, they are now mainly a source of errors and hinder the development of new EVM implementations.
Points to Take into Account
- Ethereum’s Purge initiative aims to reduce node storage requirements and simplify the protocol.
- EIP-6780 has already cut down on protocol complexity and increased block storage slots.
- Future changes will allow nodes to prune older data, promoting efficient data management and decentralization.
- Buterin acknowledges the need to reassess the role of precompiled contracts due to their declining utility and error-proneness.