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Carla Moretti
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    7. What is Ethereum 2.0?...

    What is Ethereum 2.0? Post-Merge Clarifications

    What is Ethereum 2.0

    If you’re new to the cryptocurrency world, you may wonder, “what is Ethereum 2.0?” Don’t worry; we’re here to break it down for you.

    So What is Ethereum 2.0?

    Simply put, Ethereum 2.0 is a significant upgrade to the Ethereum foundation that aims to improve the blockchain’s scalability, security, and sustainability.

    The crypto community has highly anticipated the launch of Ethereum 2.0, as it is a crucial step in the maturation of Ethereum. When fully implemented, Ethereum 2.0 allows Ethereum to process thousands of transactions per second, making it much more usable for large-scale applications such as decentralized exchanges (DEXs), games, and other dApps.

    What is Ethereum 2.0?

    Ethereum 2.0 is a very significant upgrade to the network that has been steadily developing and improving for several years now. The promotion consists of multiple phases, with Phase 0 (the Beacon Chain) launching on December 1st, 2020. 

    The primary goal of Ethereum 2.0 is to improve the scalability, security, and sustainability of Ethereum. To achieve these goals, Ethereum 2.0 made several major changes to how the network operates. 

    The most considerable change is the transition from a Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus algorithm to a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus algorithm. PoW requires the miners to use their computational power to solve complex mathematical problems, validate transactions, and add blocks to the blockchain. PoS, on the other hand, allows users to stake their ETH and earn rewards. 

    The switch to PoS enables Ethereum 2.0 to process thousands of transactions per second, which is a major improvement over the current rate of around 15 transactions per second. In addition, the move to PoS made Ethereum much more environmentally friendly as it no longer requires energy-intensive mining rigs. 

    Another significant change that Ethereum 2.0 has brought is sharding. Sharding is a scalability solution that allows the Ethereum system to process multiple transactions in parallel. This has further improved the transaction processing speed of the Ethereum network and make it more scalable. 

    Ethereum 2.0 also introduces new cryptographic algorithms, making the network more secure against quantum computing attacks. Finally, Ethereum 2.0 changed the economic model of the network, reducing the inflation rate and making staking more rewarding for users.

    What are the Phases of Ethereum 2.0?

    Ethereum 2.0 is being rolled out in several phases, each with its own distinct purpose and functionality: Beacon Chain, shard chains, State Execution Engine (SEE), cross-shard transactions, the transition from Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus to Proof-of-Stake (PoS).

    Let’s take a look at the main phases of Ethereum 2.0.

    Phase 0: The Beacon Chain 

    Ethereum Beacon Chain

    The Beacon Chain is the very first phase of Ethereum 2.0 and is already live on the mainnet as of December 1st, 2020. The Beacon Chain is responsible for coordinating validators (i.e., those who stake ETH on the network) and keeping track of their stakes. This is accomplished through a process called “sharding,” which essentially breaks up data into smaller chunks to be processed more efficiently. 

    The Beacon Chain was critical to the success of Ethereum 2.0 as it did lay the groundwork for all subsequently phases of the upgrade. 

    Phase 1: Shard Chains

    Ethereum Sharding Phase

    Phase 1 rolled out in several stages, with the first stage focusing on the implementation of shard chains. Shard chains are smaller versions of the previous Ethereum blockchain designed to process transactions in parallel with one another rather than sequentially (as it was before). This significantly increased the reliability of the Ethereum blockchain as more transactions can be processed simultaneously without slowing down the system. 

    Phase 1.5: State Execution Engine

    Once shard chains were up and running smoothly, work began on what’s known as a State Execution Engine (SEE). The SEE allowed users to move their ETH from one shard chain to another without going through a third party, like an exchange. This has further increased the flexibility and scalability of ETH 2.0 by allowing users to transact directly with one another without having to wait for confirmations from miners or other third parties.

    Phase 2: Cross-Shard Transactions and Data Availability

    In Phase 2, cross-shard transactions were introduced, which means users could finally send ETH and other assets between shard chains without any intermediary steps involved. Additionally, this phase introduced newly available data mechanisms that will help ensure that all data stored on ETH 2.0 is retrievable even if some nodes go offline or experience technical difficulties.

    Phase 3: Full Transition to Proof-of-Stake and Finality Gadget Implementation

    Ethereum changing from proof of work to proof of stake

    The final phase of ETH 2.0 saw a complete transition from the Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus to the Proof-of-Stake (PoS) mechanism. Under PoS consensus, users “stake” their ETH by locking it up in a smart contract to validate blocks and earn rewards. This transition from PoW consensus, which used to power ETH 1.0, makes ETH 2.0 much more energy efficient as it no longer requires specialized hardware or large amounts of electricity to power mining operations. In addition, this phase also saw the implementation of finality gadgets, which are designed to provide instant finality for transactions without sacrificing security.

    What was Ethereum Merge?

    The Ethereum Merge

    Ethereum Merge was a bifurcation of the Ethereum blockchain that occurred on September 15th, 2020. The purpose of the merge process was to split the Ethereum blockchain into two different blockchains to increase scalability, security, and privacy. The bifurcation resulted in two different versions of Ethereum: Ethereum 1.0 and Ethereum 2.0.

    Ethereum 1.0 is the current main version of Ethereum that most users are familiar with. This version of Ethereum uses a Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus algorithm that is energy intensive and not very scalable.

    Ethereum 2.0 is the new, improved version that uses a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus algorithm. This makes it more secure and energy efficient than Ethereum 1.0. In addition, Ethereum 2.0 also introduces sharding, which further increases scalability.

    The merge process was completed successfully, and both versions of Ethereum are now running side by side. However, some work still needs to be done to make Ethereum 2.0 fully functional.

    Why was Ethereum Merge necessary?

    The primary aim of this merge was to increase scalability. The old version of Ethereum, Ethereum 1.0, uses a Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus algorithm that is not very scalable. This means that the network can only process a limited number of transactions per second.

    The scalability issue has been a major concern for the Ethereum ecosystem for a long time, with lesser network security. To scale Ethereum 1.0, various solutions have been proposed, such as sharding and Plasma. However, these solutions are complex and would require a hard fork of the blockchain, which is risky.

    The merge offers a more straightforward and safer solution to the scalability problem. By splitting the Ethereum blockchain into two versions, Ethereum 1.0 and 2.0, both versions can be scaled independently. In addition, Ethereum 2.0 introduces sharding, which further improves scalability.

    Another aim of the merge was to improve security. Ethereum 1.0 uses a Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus algorithm that is vulnerable to 51% of attacks. At this rate, a malicious actor or group of actors controls more than 50% of the network’s mining power! This gives the attackers a significant amount of control over the network, and they can use this power to double-spend coins, censor transactions, and more.

    Proof-of-Stake is much better than Proof-of-Work. The Ethereum merge helped to improve security by moving to a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus algorithm. Proof-of-Stake, hence, is a more secure consensus mechanism as it is much harder for attackers to control more than 50% of the network’s staking power. In addition, Ethereum 2.0 introduces sharding, which further increases security.

    How did Ethereum 2.0 improve the Ethereum network?

    Features of Ethereum 2.0

    Ethereum 2.0 improves Ethereum in several ways.

    • Increased transaction processing speed.
    • More scalable network.
    • More secure against quantum computing attacks.
    • More rewarding for users who stake their ETH. 

    Ethereum 2.0 is a huge upgrade to the Ethereum system, bringing many improvements and benefits.

    How did the new Ethereum ecosystem impact users and businesses?

    The launch of Ethereum 2.0 positively impacts users and businesses that use Ethereum. The increased transaction processing speed and scalability will make Ethereum more practical for large-scale applications such as DEXs, games, and other dApps. In addition, the move to PoS made the network more sustainable and environmentally friendly. 

    Overall, Ethereum 2.0 is a major step forward for Ethereum that will improve its security and sustainability. The upgrade is a crucial part of the Ethereum network’s development and will pave the way for the mass adoption of blockchain technology.

    Conclusion

    Overall, ETH 2.0 has been a major upgrade over ETH 1.0 in terms of scalability, security, and sustainability. The rollout of ETH 2.0 has been highly anticipated by the crypto community and is a crucial step in furthering cryptocurrency adoption worldwide. If you’re just getting started in cryptocurrency or are looking to learn more about what happened with Ethereum, hopefully, this article has provided some valuable insights!

    FAQ

    Most frequent questions and answers

    Ethereum 2.0 is an upgrade to the current Ethereum network that introduces several new features and improvements. The most notable changes include increasing the network’s transaction processing speed, scalability, and security. However, Ethereum 2.0 is not a completely new cryptocurrency- it is still based on the same blockchain as Ethereum and uses Ether (ETH) as its native currency.

    There is no obvious answer to this one, as it depends on your personal preferences and needs. However, overall, Ethereum 2.0 does offer several advantages over Ethereum 1.0 in terms of scalability, security, and sustainability.

    No, you don’t have to convert your ETH to ETH2. However, if you want to take advantage of the new features of Ethereum 2.0, you will need to stake your ETH in a smart contract.

    ETH is still be used on the Ethereum network even after ETH 2.0 launched. However, all transactions on the network require a small amount of ETH to be sent along with the transaction to cover gas fees.

    Ethereum mainnet is the original Ethereum blockchain that went live in 2015. It is the main network where all ETH transactions take place.

    Ethereum testnet is a testing environment specifically designed for developers to test their Ethereum-based applications before deploying them on the mainnet. Transactions on the testnet do not cost real ETH as transaction fees.

    You can sell your ETH2 tokens any time after they have been deposited into the smart contract. However, it is really important to note that you will only receive your ETH back at the end of the staking period (3 years).

    Ethereum Max is a fork of the Ethereum blockchain that aims to provide a fairer decentralized platform by eliminating Ethereum’s centralization risk. Ethereum Max also plans to introduce new features, such as smart contracts and decentralized applications. However, Ethereum Max is not affiliated with the Ethereum Foundation and is not supported by most of the Ethereum community.

    The Ethereum Foundation is a Swiss non-profit organization that supports the development of the Ethereum blockchain and related technologies. The Foundation’s goal is to actively promote and support Ethereum protocol development as well as other blockchain research and applications. One of the ways the Foundation does this is by awarding grants to individuals and organizations who are working on projects that align with the foundation’s goals. The foundation also organizes Ethereum-related events and provides funding for Ethereum development.

    Ethereum Classic is a fork of the Ethereum blockchain that resulted from a disagreement over handling the DAO hack. The Ethereum Classic community believes that immutability and censorship resistance is essential to the success of blockchain technology, and thus, the Ethereum Classic blockchain does not include the changes made to the Ethereum blockchain after the DAO hack. As a result, Ethereum Classic is not supported by the majority of the Ethereum community.

    ETH 2.0 is designed to reduce gas fees by introducing sharding and other scalability improvements. However, it is important to note that your actual gas fees will still depend on the complexity of your transaction and the current demand on the network.

    Ethereum 2.0 works by introducing several new features and improvements over Ethereum 1.0, such as sharding and staking. Sharding essentially breaks down the Ethereum blockchain into smaller pieces, which makes it more scalable and efficient. Staking is a process of locking up ETH to validate transactions on the network.

    This is impossible to predict, as Ethereum’s price will depend on various factors such as global economic conditions and innovation within the Ethereum network. Generally speaking, it is well expected that Ethereum will continue to grow in value over time as it becomes more widely adopted.

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