Ethereum’s largest testnet, Holešky, is scheduled to shut down in the coming weeks following the planned Fusaka upgrade, marking the end of a critical phase in Ethereum’s development roadmap.
Why Is Holešky Being Shut Down?
The Ethereum Foundation announced that Holešky will be decommissioned two weeks after the Fusaka upgrade is finalized, which is expected in the second half of September 2025. After this period, Holešky will no longer receive support from client, testing, or infrastructure teams.
Launched in September 2023, Holešky was designed for validator testing and staking infrastructure development, playing a vital role in upgrades like Dencun and Pectra.
“The network served its purpose, enabling thousands of validators to test protocol upgrades,” the foundation stated.
Hoodi to Replace Holešky
In early 2025, Holešky experienced extensive inactivity leaks, causing significant exit queues. While the network recovered, these issues prompted the launch of Hoodi in March 2025 as a fresh testnet environment for future upgrades.
The Ethereum Foundation confirmed that all Holešky staking operators and infrastructure will migrate to Hoodi, which already supports Pectra and will activate future upgrades like Fusaka.
For dApp and smart contract developers, Sepolia remains the recommended testnet for now.
What Is Fusaka and Why It Matters
The Fusaka fork (short for Fulu-Osaka) is scheduled for early November 2025 and introduces 11 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs). Its main goal is to:
- Improve data availability for rollups by distributing workloads across validators.
- Boost scalability for Layer-2 networks, making transactions faster and cheaper.
- Enhance decentralization by making node operations more efficient.
What’s Next for Ethereum?
After Fusaka, Ethereum developers will shift focus to Glamsterdam, an upgrade targeted for 2026 under EIP-7782. This upgrade could reduce block times to 6 seconds and optimize zero-knowledge proof generation, further improving Ethereum’s scalability and security.
Key Takeaways
- Holešky testnet will shut down after the Fusaka fork, marking the end of a major testing phase.
- Hoodi testnet will replace Holešky for future protocol testing.
- Fusaka upgrade in November aims to enhance rollup efficiency and scalability.
- Ethereum continues to evolve, with Glamsterdam upgrade planned for 2026.
Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.