Following its initial deployment on the Sepolia testnet on October 6, the highly anticipated Glamsterdam network upgrade is officially marching toward its next major milestone. Core developers and client teams have scheduled the activation for the Hoodi testnet, setting the stage for a critical phase of testing. This next-generation network upgrade marks a substantial leap forward in Ethereum’s Layer 1 scaling roadmap, introducing core architectural shifts designed to optimize throughput, streamline block production, and recalibrate gas pricing to better account for state growth and resource execution costs.
According to the official deployment schedule, the Glamsterdam upgrade is set to go live on Hoodi at epoch 132,352, which corresponds to slot 4,235,264. The activation timestamp is locked in for October 26, 2026, at exactly 17:42:48 UTC. Simultaneously, coinciding with this upgrade epoch, the Hoodi network’s gas limit will be increased to 200 million, mirroring the parameters previously established during the Sepolia rollout. While the testnet trajectory is rapidly taking shape, the official mainnet activation date remains undecided, pending further observation and stability assessments from developer teams.
Ahead of the activation, node operators and stakers across the Hoodi network must prepare for mandatory software updates. Compatible client versions are being finalized and rolled out, and network participants are strongly urged to update both their execution layer and consensus layer clients prior to the specified epoch. Operating an outdated client will leave nodes unable to sync or follow the upgraded network rules once the changes take effect.
A Comprehensive Overview of the Glamsterdam Upgrade
The Glamsterdam upgrade represents a comprehensive convergence of execution layer changes, derived from the Amsterdam upgrade path, and consensus layer improvements stemming from the Gloas upgrade. At its core, the package is anchored by two transformative protocol additions: enshrined proposer-builder separation and block-level access lists. Together, these enhancements fundamentally alter how transactions are bundled, ordered, and validated across the Ethereum network, laying a robust foundation for increased Layer 1 capacity without compromising decentralization or overburdening node operators.
Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation
One of the marquee features of the upgrade is the implementation of enshrined proposer-builder separation, formally outlined in EIP-7732. This protocol-level change integrates the long-discussed separation between block proposers and specialized block builders directly into Ethereum’s consensus mechanism. Under this new framework, a block proposer includes a cryptographic commitment from a builder regarding an execution payload, and the builder subsequently reveals the full payload within a designated window. The underlying protocol natively handles the payment mechanics flowing to the proposer, significantly diminishing the network’s reliance on trusted third-party middleware to facilitate the exchange.
Furthermore, this structural adjustment cleanly separates consensus validation from execution validation. By doing so, network validators are granted additional time to thoroughly review execution payloads. To ensure network liveness and accountability, a newly established payload timeliness committee will attest whether builders have successfully and punctually revealed their payloads alongside the corresponding blob data. Validator operators and teams managing builder infrastructure are advised to familiarize themselves with these modified duties and network interfaces well ahead of the upgrade.
Block-Level Access Lists and Scalability
Complementing proposer-builder separation is the introduction of block-level access lists through EIP-7928. These enforced lists meticulously record every account and storage location accessed throughout the lifecycle of a block, coupled with the resulting post-transaction state modifications. By providing a clear, pre-defined map of resource utilization for an entire block, client software is empowered to read state data from disk in parallel, validate transactions simultaneously, and compute state roots with unprecedented efficiency. This computational streamlining directly addresses historical bottlenecks, making heavy block validation significantly more practical for independent node operators.
Gas Pricing, State Growth, and Developer Impact
In addition to structural changes in block production, Glamsterdam introduces vital adjustments to Ethereum’s gas accounting system to ensure that resource consumption and state bloat are accurately priced. EIP-8037 implements an increase and independent metering system for the creation of new state, while EIP-8038 updates the base costs associated with state access. Additional modifications span intrinsic transaction gas formulas, calldata handling, access lists, and broader block gas accounting metrics.
These economic shifts carry important implications for smart contract and application developers. Project teams are encouraged to rigorously test their applications and gas estimation logic against the updated rules. Smart contracts that rely on rigid gas stipends, hardcoded transaction limits, or legacy assumptions regarding remaining gas may require modifications to function correctly. Developers can consult the dedicated Glamsterdam repricing impact guide to search for affected contracts and review comprehensive testing recommendations.
Beyond these major changes, the upgrade bundles a series of developer-centric enhancements and consensus adjustments. These include the introduction of native Ethereum transfer logs, a dedicated slot-number opcode, an expanded maximum contract size, a deterministic factory contract, and advanced stack-manipulation instructions. Consensus-level modifications include forward-compatible data structures, rules to exclude slashed validators from proposing new blocks, and increased rates for validator exits and deposit consolidations.
Security, Bug Bounties, and Activation Details
In alignment with Ethereum’s rigorous deployment standards, the Ethereum Bug Bounty Program has been activated for all Glamsterdam specifications and associated Improvement Proposals. Client implementations become eligible for bug bounty rewards as soon as their respective release versions are officially published and verified. Security researchers and developers are encouraged to review the official Ethereum Bug Bounty documentation for comprehensive details regarding reward multipliers, submission requirements, and scope guidelines.
The structured deployment schedule places Sepolia as the initial proving ground on October 6, followed by the upcoming Hoodi testnet activation on October 26, 2026, at slot 4,235,264. The corresponding gas limit increase to 200 million will take effect concurrently. Mainnet deployment timelines will be determined and announced by client release managers only after the testnet upgrades have proven stable and reliable over a sustained period.
Guidance for Network Participants and Stakeholders
Different segments of the Ethereum ecosystem face distinct responsibilities as the Hoodi activation approaches. Mainnet users and standard ETH holders are not required to take any immediate action, as this phase is strictly confined to testnet infrastructure. Similarly, mainnet node operators and stakers can continue normal operations while awaiting future mainnet scheduling announcements.
However, non-staking node operators on the Hoodi testnet must ensure their execution and consensus layer software packages are updated to compatible versions before the October 26 deadline. Stakers running validators on Hoodi face more comprehensive duties: they must update both their beacon nodes and validator clients simultaneously. Stakers should also review specific client upgrade documentation to understand new ePBS responsibilities, adapt external tooling if necessary, and properly configure target gas limits for their validator setups.
Application developers and tooling maintainers should utilize the active testnets to observe how the new gas schedules, opcodes, and system logs interact with their products. By addressing potential friction points early, the broader developer community can ensure a seamless transition when these scaling advancements eventually migrate from test environments to the Ethereum mainnet.
Ethereum & Smart Contracts
Ethereum & Smart Contracts
Ethereum & Smart Contracts
