Cryptocurrency

Ethereum to Retire Holešky Testnet After Two Years

Sean Jacobs

September 3, 2025
9:00 AM

Ethereum Shuts Down a Big Testnet

The Ethereum Protocol Coordination team has now said for sure that the Holešky testnet will be turned off. At one time, the network was the biggest place for validators to practice. Two years after it first came out, this announcement was made. This is a big and very important change for the network.

Developers said that most of the validator nodes that are still up will be taken down soon. This will happen once the new upgrade on Holešky is finished. The network was first set up to test how validators work and how staking works on a large scale. It let thousands of validators test upgrades.

The Network’s Technical Problems

After the Pectra activation, the developers said that the network had a lot of new technical problems. These problems helped make the decision to let Holešky go. The network had some big problems with inactivity leaks. This made it harder for everyone to get better.

Because of an accidental bottleneck, the testnet wasn’t good for testing the whole validator lifecycle. The developers thought this happened “within a reasonable timeframe.” The network was no longer doing what it was supposed to do. It will reach the end of its life cycle on September 30.

The New Hoodi Testnet Is Here

Developers made a new testnet even though Holešky was still good for many features. Hoodi is the name of the new testnet that was made to fix all of its problems. We know for sure that this new testnet has a much better set of validators. It also has a lot of help for all the new upgrades.

On March 26, at a certain time, Hoodi went live with the Pectra upgrade. It is now expected to be able to handle a lot of new protocol upgrades in the future. Hoodi is now the recommended place for all testing activities for staking operators and infrastructure providers. This is a very important step.

Sepolia and Ephemery Get New Jobs

A lot of new application and tool development will now take place on a new testnet. This testnet will be around for a year. Hoodi will be able to provide staking and validator testing for a lot longer. There is a third testnet called Ephemery that is good for testing the lifecycle of lightweight validators.

Every 28 days, this third testnet resets to give developers new conditions to test in. This is a very important and necessary step for the people who make things. The new testnet will help create a lot of new testing situations. This will make the network much more stable.

What Holešky’s Life Taught Us

Holešky gave the developers a lot of useful information about how to run large-scale validators. It also helped put a lot of new protocol upgrades to the test. Hoodi’s new design is based on a lot of what they learned. They have also helped everyone learn more about how to test protocols.

This is a very important step in the process. The people who made the testnet possible thanked everyone who helped run and keep it up. This shows that the community is very strong. We will use what we learned from Holešky to make the new testnets better. This is a very good sign and a very good thing.

A New Testing Environment for Ethereum

After the wind-down, Ethereum’s new testing environment will have three main networks. Sepolia will be in charge of making tools and applications for a number of projects. Hoodi will keep providing staking services and validator testing for a long time. This will give us a lot of new ways to test things.

Ephemery, a third testnet, will be in charge of testing the lifecycle of lightweight validators. Every 28 days, this testnet will reset to give developers new conditions to test in. This is a very important and necessary step for the developers to take. The new testing environment is much stronger now.

The Future of Ethereum Is Bright

The choice to retire Holešky and start a new testnet shows that the network is being developed. The Ethereum Foundation is putting in a lot of effort to make sure the network is as stable as it can be. They are also trying to make sure that it can grow as much as possible. This is a good sign.

The new testnets will give everyone a lot of new ways to test things. In the future, this will make the network a lot safer and more stable. Ethereum has a very bright future ahead of it. The developers are dedicated to a better and new future.

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