Ethereum’s Ropsten POS test merge to launch in June

What

Ethereum is to merge its test network, Ropsten, with its mainnet in June as part of the final preparations for launching a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism to the network

Why

Dubbed “the merge” Ethereum will combine its old proof of work network with its long-awaited proof of stake one. This will change how Ethereum transactions and its blockchain is validated so it’s less environmentally impactful and energy intensive.

What next

The code is ready to launch, according to the Ethereum Foundation’s GitHub account, and is expected to execute in early June.

The story

Ethereum developer, Preston Van Loon, said on Twitter that “Merging Ropsten is a huge testing milestone towards Ethereum’s mainnet merge later this year.”

The Ropsten merge will be the first of three tests that are expected to take place over the Summer, with the full merge potentially happening in August, according to Anthony Sassano’s comments to The Block.

Another indication that the merge is close to its final phase is the consolidation of Ethereum’s bug bounty program, which has now combined its bounties for bugs found on Ethereum’s execution and consensus layers (formally called Ethereum 1.0 and 2.0). This suggests that from a developer viewpoint the two layers are nearly two parts of one whole as the they continue to integrate.

To learn more about blockchain and Ethereum, visit our learning resource here.