Key Highlights
- Ethereum’s Glamsterdam upgrade has entered its final testing phase as developers run all planned changes before the public testnet.
- The upgrade is expected to be Ethereum’s biggest since the network moved to proof-of-stake.
- Glamsterdam intends to introduce major technical and fee changes, including ePBS, Block-level Access Lists, and a new gas pricing model.
Ethereum developers are reportedly entering the final stage of work on the “Glamsterdam” upgrade, the next big update coming to the Ethereum network.
According to the Ethereum roadmap, this upgrade is being built by core Ethereum Foundation developers and client teams, who are currently testing it inside special developer networks, also called devnets. These devnets are private testing spaces where new code is checked before it is sent to public testnets and later to the main Ethereum blockchain.
Right now, the full set of planned Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) is already included in these tests. The upgrade is expected to go live in the second half of the year, but the exact date is still not confirmed.
Testing enters the final stretch
Developers are now testing how all of the proposed protocol changes work together before moving to public testnets.
Parithosh Jayanthi, a core developer and DevOps engineer at the Ethereum Foundation, explained the situation in a recent statement.
He said, “We’re working on devnets with all the EIPs in them right now.” He also added, “This is the last phase before we work on hardening and then shipping the testnets. There’s no fixed timeline, but we’ve made massive progress.”
This means the team is now focusing on fixing problems, checking performance, and preparing the system for public testing. The upgrade is expected to go live in the second half of the year, but the exact date is still not confirmed.
Ethereum’s biggest upgrade since the merge
Glamsterdam is expected to be one of Ethereum’s most significant upgrades since the Merge in 2022, when the network transitioned from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake.
Jayanthi described it as “probably the largest fork we’ve had since the Merge” and said it will “change a lot of assumptions about Ethereum and set us up for much more scaling in the future.” The upgrade is designed to improve Ethereum’s scalability while introducing broader architectural changes that could influence the network’s long-term development.
Bringing block building Into the core protocol
One of the main features in the upgrade is called enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation, also known as EIP-7732.
Today, Ethereum uses a system where block building and block proposing are handled mostly outside the main protocol. This can sometimes create trust issues and open the door for unfair advantages, especially MEV, which is short for maximal extractable value.
With this upgrade, Ethereum wants to bring that process directly into its core system. This should make block production more fair and reduce the chances of manipulation.
Helping the network work smarter
Another major update is Block-level Access Lists, or EIP-7928. This feature lets each block tell the network ahead of time which accounts and smart contract data it will need. Because of this, Ethereum clients can prepare information in advance instead of searching for it at the last moment.
The upgrade also includes changes to gas pricing, which is how Ethereum charges for actions on the network. After the update, heavy computing tasks are expected to become cheaper, while storing data on the network will become more expensive.
Developers are doing this so that prices better match the real cost of running the system. It also helps Ethereum work better with new scaling technologies like zero-knowledge proofs.
Alongside all these technical changes, developers are still testing, fixing issues, and speaking with the community to explain what is coming. They are making sure everything is clear before the upgrade moves from devnets to public testnets and finally to the main Ethereum network.
Glamsterdam is a massive step and could define how Ethereum works for years to come, and the team is now delicately pushing it towards completion.
Building on the Fusaka Upgrade
Glamsterdam follows the Fusaka upgrade, which launched in December 2025.
While Fusaka focused on foundational refinements, Glamsterdam turned its focus to scaling Ethereum’s Layer 1 by rearranging how the network processes transactions and manages its growing database.
The upgrade also continues the broader “Scale L1” and “Scale Blobs” direction by improving how different roles in the network are separated and coordinated.
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