Share this article
Ethereum 2.0 Developers Launch Spadina, a Three-Day Practice Testnet
Ethereum testnet Spadina gives developers one more crack at practicing with Eth 2.0’s deposit contract before the real deal arrives.
Updated Sep 14, 2021, 10:01 a.m. Published Sep 29, 2020, 12:04 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
Ethereum 2.0 developers have launched yet another testnet, this time to give on-boarding stakers a dry run before the launch of Eth 2.0 sometime this autumn.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Called Spadina after a subway stop in Toronto, the testnet follows the official Ethereum Foundation’s Medalla testnet, which launched in early August.
Developers will only be supporting Spadina for the next three days while Eth 2.0 stakers practice joining the network with the testnet, said Ethereum Foundation researcher Danny Ryan in a Sept. 14 blog.
“The main objective is to give us all another chance to go through one of the more difficult and risky parts of the process – deposits and genesis – before we reach mainnet. If all goes well, it should give us greater peace of mind before we jump into the real deal later this year,” Ryan said.
Read more: Everything You Need to Know About Ethereum 2.0
The release of Eth 2.0 – a fully functional Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchain to replace the current Proof-of-Work (PoW) Ethereum mainchain – has been years in coming. An official launch date has not yet been given, but is expected before the end of 2020.
Testnets
Testnets practicing different parts of Eth 2.0’s launch began rolling out in 2019.
The Eth 2.0 software is maintained by five separate teams that have programmed the same central specification in different computer languages. Writing and developing those languages has been the main hurdle to deploying the project in a timely manner.
Medalla is the first Ethereum Foundation–backed testnet of Eth 2.0 phase 0. That testnet was preceded by a slew of others such as Goerli and Schlesi. The PoS version of Ethereum will deploy in at least three phases, according to current schematics.
Read more: Ethereum 2.0 Testnet Medalla Goes Live With 20,000 Validators
Structurally, phase 0 is comprised of the Beacon chain, a central coordinator of the future multi-chained Eth 2.0 network. Once enough Ethereum investors have deposited ether (ETH) into the new blockchain’s deposit contract, the Beacon chain can begin validating transactions.
Those ether holdings work as skin in the game for those participating on the new blockchain. Stakers validate transactions and receive staking rewards in return. Ether deposits are slashable in the case that multiple investors try to collude against the blockchain by validating invalid transactions.
Yet, the process of moving ETH from one blockchain to another can be difficult for investors, particularly for those new to the space. In that vein, Eth 2.0 developers opted to have yet another testnet to practice moving funds over to the Beacon chain.
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Solana’s new phase is ‘much more about finance,’ says Backpack CEO Armani Ferrante
The Solana ecosystem has spent the past year doubling down on a financial infrastructure, Backpack CEO Armani Ferrante told CoinDesk.
What to know:
- Solana’s latest phase looks a lot less flashy than its memecoin-fueled highs, and that may be the goal.
- Armani Ferrante, CEO of crypto exchange Backpack, told CoinDesk in an interview the Solana ecosystem has spent the past year doubling down on a more sober focus: financial infrastructure. A
- fter years of experimentation as the wider crypto industry focused on NFTs, games and social tokens, attention is now shifting back toward decentralized finance, trading and payments.
Top Stories
