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Ethereum’s Final Pectra Test Goes Live on Hoodi Network
The upgrade is the last of three tests, and developers previously agreed they would schedule Pectra 30 days from Wednesday if the test ran smoothly.
Updated Mar 26, 2025, 3:10 p.m. Published Mar 26, 2025, 3:02 p.m.
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What to know:
- The final planned test of Etheruem's Pectra upgrade took place Wednesday on the new Hoodi testnet.
- Two previous tests on the Holesky and Sepolia test networks failed to finalize properly.
- The upgrade is the biggest to hit Etheruem in over a year, focused on developer experience improvements and ease-of-use changes.
- Developers plan to activate Pectra on Etheruem's main network in about 30 days, pending continued.
The final dress rehearsal for Ethereum’s upcoming Pectra upgrade occurred Wednesday, as the blockchain's biggest changes in over a year were tested an additional time following a series of mishaps.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
The upgrade on the new Hoodi testnet was closely watched given that two previous tests, on the Holesky and Sepolia test networks, failed to finalize properly.
Following those tests, developers created a new testnet, Hoodi, to give ecosystem players, particularly staking providers, one more testing opportunity before the Pectra upgrade hits Ethereum’s mainnet.
The test involved passing Hoodi a series of code changes meant to make Ethereum more user-friendly for both end-users as well as developers. One of those changes adds smart contract functionality to wallets, allowing wallet software developers to build new convenience-oriented features, like the ability to pay transaction fees in cryptocurrencies other than ether .
Testnets act as copies of a main blockchain, and are used by developers to run through any major code changes in a low stakes environment, giving them a place to patch out any bugs before they reach mainnet.
Hoodi was the last of three testnets to run through a simulation of Pectra. Developers previously agreed that if all went well on Wednesday, Pectra would be monitored for around 30 more days and then, finally, activated on Ethereum's mainnet.
Read more: Hello, Hoodi: Ethereum Welcomes a New Testnet
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