In September the Ethereum community was introduced to the Holesky testnet - a name inspired by a vibey Prague neighbourhood in the Czech Republic. As Ethereum continues its evolution, this new testnet brings a realm of possibilities and improvements over its predecessor, Goerli. Holesky is slated to replace Goerli as the prime testnet for staking, infrastructure, and protocol development. Meanwhile, for those diving into the testing of decentralized applications, smart contracts, and other EVM-related functions, Sepolia remains the go-to testnet.

Initially, expected to be launched September 15th, the Holesky testnet was delayed to September 28th due to technical issues. The testnet is now live and its status can be checked on Holesky's dedicated explorer.

What is Holesky Testnet?

Holesky is Ethereum's latest merged-from-genesis public testnet. Set to take over from Goerli, Holesky is specifically designed for thorough staking trials, infrastructure assessments, and direct protocol developer testing, mirroring mainnet functionalities for precise evaluations.

Why Holesky?

Short answer - a multitude of reasons. 

Holesky aims to increase the number of validators on the Ethereum mainnet and test how changes affect its stability. The Ethereum Foundation’s DevOps team has several plans for Holesky. 

1. Test the network more thoroughly by having twice as many active validators as the main Ethereum network.
2. Improve the way inflation works using methods from the Sepolia testnet.
3. Start with a strong base of 1 million validators for better testing.
4. Encourage teams to run many of these validators, aiming for each team to handle around 100,000, ensuring the testnet works as intended.

You can deep dive into Ethereum testnets and the reasons behind replacing Goerli in this EthStaker video featuring devs from the Foundation itself. 

What Does This Mean for Tatum?

First of all - Ethereum being a top priority chain for developers, it is essential we have reliable support for the Holesky testnet through our RPC nodes and the full range of functionality of our SDK.

Our track record with Goerli is a testament to our commitment: we've provided consistent and reliable support for it. As we transition and adapt, we’ll ensure the same reliability with Holesky and will also continue to support Sepolia.

Moreover, we recognize the importance of facilitating a smooth development process. To that end, we will grant developers access to Testnet tokens in two ways: via our faucets directory on the Tatum website and directly embedded within our SDK. This ensures that those who choose to build on Tatum have all the tools and resources they need right at their fingertips.

Access the Holesky faucet here and get your testnet tokens.

[.c-wr-center][.button-black]Sign Up[.button-black][.c-wr-center]

What Happens to Goerli? 

Goerli will be sunset at the end of 2023 and also its support will be discontinued by Tatum as well. 

The Goerli testnet has seen a marked increase in demand for Goerli Ether, primarily driven by the need to test staking setups, with each validator necessitating 32 Ether. Following the discontinuation of the Rinkeby testnet, a significant portion of projects transitioned to Goerli, bypassing Sepolia, perhaps due to compatibility or architectural considerations. This shift, however, has not been without complications. Many faucets have been exhausted or compromised, undermining the testnet's functionality for numerous developers. Surprisingly, even though Goerli Ether was intended to be freely accessible, its availability in trading channels has complicated its acquisition.

Closing Remarks

It goes without saying that once the full Holesky functionality is available within the Tatum SDK later in September, we'll let everyone developing with Tatum know - same goes for the Holesky faucet. Keep your eyes open for announcements on our Discord, LinkedIn and Twitter. For now - happy building!