Today, Cloudflare announces enhanced support for the upcoming Ethereum Merge with the integration of Görli and Sepolia test networks (testnets) into its Ethereum Gateway. These testnets enable developers to build and test decentralized applications (dApps) or protocol upgrades before deploying them on the Ethereum mainnet, using valueless Ether for transactions.
👉 Explore Cloudflare's Ethereum Gateway to streamline your dApp development.
Understanding Ethereum Consensus Mechanisms
Proof of Work (PoW)
The original Ethereum consensus mechanism relies on miners solving cryptographic puzzles to validate transactions. While secure, PoW consumes excessive energy—over 80 TWh annually—prompting Ethereum's shift to a sustainable alternative.
Proof of Stake (PoS)
PoS validators stake cryptocurrency to propose/validate blocks, reducing energy use by 99.95%. Validators earn rewards but risk penalties ("slashing") for malicious actions.
Proof of Authority (PoA)
A trusted validator model where approved nodes validate blocks. Cloudflare operated a PoA node for the deprecated Rinkeby testnet.
How Cloudflare’s Ethereum Gateway Works
Request Handling:
- JSON-RPC calls are processed by a global Cloudflare Worker for low-latency responses.
- Load balancers route requests to Kubernetes-managed Ethereum node proxies.
Node Architecture:
- Execution clients (e.g., Geth) and consensus clients (e.g., Prysm) sync with the Ethereum network.
- Redundant proxies and nodes ensure high availability.
The Ethereum Merge: Key Details
The Merge transitions Ethereum from PoW to PoS by integrating the Ethereum Beacon Chain with the mainnet. Critical milestones:
- Terminal Total Difficulty (TTD): Triggers the merge when reached.
- Post-Merge: Validators on the Beacon Chain finalize blocks, while execution clients process transactions.
Supported Testnets: Sepolia and Görli
Cloudflare’s testnet gateways now support:
- Sepolia: Ideal for post-merge testing.
- Görli: Used for pre-merge validation.
Example API Call:
curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" --data '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"net_version","params":[],"id":35}' https://web3-trial.cloudflare-eth.com/v1/sepolia👉 Start building with Cloudflare’s Web3 tools today.
FAQ
1. Why are testnets important?
Testnets like Sepolia and Görli allow risk-free development and protocol testing before mainnet deployment.
2. How does the Merge improve Ethereum?
PoS reduces energy consumption by 99.95% and enables future scalability upgrades like sharding.
3. What happens to Rinkeby testnet?
Rinkeby was deprecated in 2023 following Ethereum Foundation’s guidelines.
4. How do I switch between testnets?
Replace mainnet with sepolia or goerli in your gateway API endpoint.
5. Is Cloudflare’s Gateway ready for the Merge?
Yes. Our infrastructure successfully handled the Görli-Prater merge, ensuring mainnet readiness.
6. What’s the role of consensus clients post-Merge?
They validate blocks via the Beacon Chain, replacing PoW miners.
Next Steps
- Review Cloudflare’s Web3 documentation.
- Deploy testnet dApps using Sepolia/Görli.
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