Share this article
Ethereum Developers Appear Successful in Second Attempt at Holesky Test Network Launch
The original planned launch date of Holesky, on Sept. 15, was supposed to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Ethereum’s historic “Merge” transition. But things didn't go so smoothly. Now developers are trying again.
Updated Oct 5, 2023, 3:09 p.m. Published Sep 28, 2023, 12:05 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
Ethereum developers on Thursday appeared successful in their second attempt to launch the Holesky test network, after an attempt earlier this month failed.
As of 8:23 am ET, the process appeared to be going smoothly, though the developers signaled that the "participation rate" would need to reach at least 66% before the launch is finalized.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
On a livestream on YouTube from the EthStaker, one of the developers said, around 8:10 am ET, “It looks like the launch is successful.”
“Not going to have to build a third one!” responded another developer on the call.
Welcome to the world #Holesky :D
— parithosh | 🐼👉👈🐼 (@parithosh_j) September 28, 2023
The largest public testnet we've had to date!
FYI: Holešovice has two train stations, fits that we had to launch the testnet twice :D
photo credits: @skylenet pic.twitter.com/wPSR4Gbhtq
The new Holesky network is supposed to help developers test some ambitious scaling plans for the main Ethereum blockchain, replacing the Goerli testnet that is currently in wide use. The new testnet will allow twice as many validators to join the network compared to mainnet, and was designed to address Goerli’s testnet ETH supply issues.
The original planned launch date of Holesky, on Sept. 15, was supposed to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Ethereum’s historic “Merge” transition to a more energy-efficient proof-of-stake blockchain. But that didn’t happen due to some misconfiguration issues, according to developers.
Read more: Hello Holesky, Ethereum’s Newest Testnet
Developers decided to postpone the launch with a fresh start, “considering it’ll be a new network that’ll live for years,” Parithosh Jayanthi, a devops engineer at the Ethereum Foundation, told CoinDesk in an interview after the botched earlier attempt.
Holesky will be important for Ethereum’s upcoming hard fork, Dencun, where proto-danksharding, a technical feature which will reduce gas fees, is supposed to go live.
Read more: Ethereum’s Holesky Testnet Fails to Launch, in Rare Tech Misstep for the Blockchain
Update (8:49 a.m. ET): Adds that developers are waiting on 66% "participation rate" before declaring the launch finalized.
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
