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The much-anticipated \u2018Merge\u2019 on the Ethereum network is another step closer to becoming a reality after the final public testnet Kiln launched to put it through its paces.<\/p>\n
On March 14, the Ethereum Foundation urged<\/a> network stakeholders to run tests using Kiln \u201cto ensure a smooth transition on existing public testnets.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe strongly recommend that developers run through a full testing & deployment cycle on Kiln and report any issues with tools or dependencies to those projects\u2019 maintainers.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Ethereum developer Tim Beiko confirmed<\/a> that Kiln has gone live and will soon be ready to merge with the Beacon Chain in a March 14 tweet. The testnet launched late last week in proof-of-work mode only.<\/p>\n Kiln, the next iteration of Ethereum merge testnets, is now live <\/p>\n Highly recommended that node operators, application developers, stakers, tooling\/infra providers test their setups on the network. Blog post has all the info to get started https:\/\/t.co\/TCHBZxcFlt<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Tim Beiko | timbeiko.eth (@TimBeiko) March 14, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Kiln is now operating in a proof-of-work (PoW<\/a>) testing environment for Ethereum developers, node operators, and stakers. It is the final public testnet before the whole network transitions to proof-of-stake from PoW sometime this year. Kiln will fully test the merge sometime this week.<\/p>\n Beiko told Cointelgraph today that launching Kiln “a week or so from launch to merge was definitely the intention.” He said Ethereum developers wanted to “give the community the opportunity to test their products through the merge.”<\/p>\n Got the Kiln Testnet working perfectly, bring on the merge @superphiz<\/a> @remy_roy<\/a> thanks for the great tutorials. pic.twitter.com\/jtOCaX2m8W<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ethereum CLWP EIP-4736 (@EthCLWP) March 14, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Kiln was originally<\/a> launched as a PoW testnet that mimicked the Ethereum network\u2019s operational environment. It ran parallel to the Beacon Chain<\/a>, the first major PoS component of Ethereum 2.0 (now called the consensus layer) where ETH holders can stake their coins and begin securing the future of the Ethereum network.<\/p>\n Ethereum\u2019s (ETH<\/a>) mainnet transition from PoW to PoS will be a major milestone in the network\u2019s evolution. This next phase of Ethereum<\/a> will allow the blockchain\u2019s security to rely on staked tokens rather than costly and power-hungry mining hardware. <\/p>\n Related: <\/em><\/strong>European Parliament votes against PoW ban, providing huge relief to the crypto industry<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The network\u2019s transition event from PoW to PoS will dock the Beacon Chain<\/a> with the Ethereum mainnet.\u00a0 The Merge could come as soon as this June according to an analysis from crypto financial newsletter Bankless<\/a>\u00a0although it was slated as Q1, 2022 on the official roadmap. <\/p>\n\n
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