Ethereum's new testnet Holesky goes live on The Merge anniversary

Update: After starting its genesis epoch at 10 a.m. ET today, the Holesky testnet encountered issues and could not attain slot proposals. The developers and client teams have agreed to schedule the testnet relaunch on Sept. 28.

Ethereum marked the first anniversary of The Merge on Friday with the introduction of its latest testnet, Holesky.

Initially named Holli, Holesky's debut is aimed at enhancing the testing environment on Ethereum. With its genesis epoch live at 10 a.m. ET, Holesky has been introduced a year after the Ethereum network shifted from a proof-of-work mining system to proof-of-stake consensus.

Testnets in the blockchain domain operate parallel to the main network, allowing developers the space to execute applications in a test environment and fix potential issues without influencing the mainnet.

Holesky joins Goerli and Sepolia

Holesky is now the third testnet on Ethereum, joining Goerli and Sepolia. With reports suggesting a potential phase-out of Goerli in the first half of 2024, Holesky's role might become increasingly pivotal later on.

One of the defining characteristics of Holesky is the expected provision of around 1.6 billion testnet ETH. Such an amount intends to mitigate the hurdles developers encounter when procuring testnet ETH on current networks, with the ample supply simplifying the process of testing Ethereum smart contracts on Holesky.