Ethereum Core Developer Explains Why Goerli Testnet Will Shutdown

• Tim Beiko said the Goerli testnet would ultimately be put to rest.
• Consequently, future testnets, including Sepolia, can mint more ETH.
• The next major network upgrade on Ethereum will be live on Tuesday.

In a recent tweet, Ethereum core developer, Tim Beiko, noted that the popular Goerli testnet would eventually be shut down. However, he also highlighted that future testnets, including Sepolia, will be available to developers with the unique ability to mint more Ether tokens.

Notably, the Goerli testnet is an Ethereum test network that developers use to test their applications and smart contracts without spending real Ether. However, the tweet from Beiko indicates that Goerli will ultimately be put to rest and will no longer be available for testing purposes.

In a separate thread, Beiko recounted how the Goerli was launched as the first native multi-client testnet, efficiently serving client developers and node operators using a simple consensus algorithm. However, application developers’ usage grew exponentially, rendering it less reliable, Beiko said.

Sepolia, among the newly launched testnets replacing Goerli, supports the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and uses the latest version of the Geth client. The Ethereum developer wrote:

When Sepolia launched, it addressed the supply issue by using a mintable ERC20 token for its beacon chain rather than SepETH, which allows validators to mint SepETH post-Shapella effectively. So, that should solve the supply issue.

After transitioning to the proof-of-stake consensus, the first significant network upgrade on the Ethereum blockchain will be live on the Sepolia testnet on Tuesday, February 28, 2023. The upgrade will enable validators to withdraw their Ethereum staked on the Beacon Chain to the execution layer.

The Ethereum Beacon Chain staking contract holds over 17 million staked ETH tokens worth $28 billion.