Ethereum (ETH) developers gear up for Pectra upgrade, bringing the biggest code change since the Merge

Pectra – a blend of the names Prague + Electra – consists of two upgrades happening on Ethereum’s consensus and execution layers at the same time.

Ethereum developers are preparing for Wednesday's much-anticipated Pectra upgrade, set to bring the biggest code change to the blockchain since the Merge in 2022.

Pectra - a blend of the names Prague + Electra - consists of two upgrades happening on Ethereum's consensus and execution layers at the same time. The upgrade is focused on making the Ethereum blockchain more user-friendly and efficient. Pectra consists of 11 major code changes, or "Ethereum improvement proposals" (EIPs), that will improve the staking experience on the network, introduce new wallet features, and update the functionality of the blockchain.

One of the main changes coming to the blockchain is EIP-7702, which gives wallets smart contract capabilities, moving them towards a technological trend known as "account abstraction." The change will allow wallets to add user-friendly features, like the ability to pay gas fees with currencies other than ether (ETH).

Another major change, known as EIP-7251, will make the staking experience for validators easier. After Pectra, validators will be able to increase the maximum amount of ETH they can stake from 32 to 2,048, meaning those who stake across multiple validators can now consolidate them over one node. This should mean that it will take less time to spin up a new node and alleviate the cumbersome experience of setting up the equipment.

Some of the changes in Pectra have been planned for a few years, even though developers originally targeted this all to go live in 2024. However, due to the complexities of the code changes, Pectra was delayed until the first quarter of 2025. After the initial delay, developers tested the upgrade twice on two different testnets and both networks experienced bugs, requiring the developers to create a third test, delaying the upgrade once again.

"The Pectra fork is coming to Ethereum mainnet soon! Please don't forget to update your nodes," wrote Ethereum Foundation devops engineer Parithosh Jayanthi on X.

The price of ETH has fallen nearly 42% in the last 12 months, while the broader market gauge, CoinDesk 20 Index, dipped about 1.5%.

input: A third round of testing for the Pectra upgrade to Ethereum has begun ahead of the code changes, which are set to bring the biggest update to the blockchain since the Merge in 2022.

The Pectra upgrade, which will see the integration of 11 new EIPs to the network, consists of two upgrades happening on the consensus and execution layers of Ethereum at the same time. The changes are set to improve the user experience on the blockchain, introducing new wallet features and updating the functionality of the blockchain.

Some of the changes in Pectra have been planned for a few years, with developers originally targeting this all to go live in 2024. However, due to the complexities of the code changes, Pectra was delayed until the first quarter of 2025. After the initial delay, developers tested the upgrade twice on two different testnets and both networks experienced bugs, requiring the developers to create a third test.

"Pectra testnet 3 has started! This will be the final testnet before Pectra arrives on May 7 at epoch 75939 (around 05:00 UTC on May 1). Please update your nodes and join us for the final leg of the journey!" announced the Ethereum CatHerder on X.

The Pectra upgrade will see the integration of EIP-7702, which will give wallets smart contract capabilities, moving them toward the technological trend of account abstraction. The change will allow wallets to add user-friendly features, such as the ability to pay gas fees with currencies other than ether (ETH).

Another major change is EIP-7251, which will make the staking experience for validators easier. After Pectra, validators will be able to increase the maximum amount of ETH they can stake from 32 to 2,048, meaning those who stake across multiple validators can now consolidate them over one node. This should also mean that it will take less time to spin up a new node and alleviate the cumbersome experience of setting up the equipment.

"Pectra is the biggest upgrade to Ethereum since the Merge. It includes 11 new EIPs, the most significant of which are EIP-4841, EIP-6873, EIP-7251, EIP-7702, and EIP-8409," the CatHerder added.

The price of ETH has fallen 38% in the last 12 months, while the broader market gauge, CoinDesk 20 Index, dipped 0.6%.output: Ethereum developers are