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danger

Hard forks are backward-incompatible upgrades used to introduce new functionality or fix security related issues. They are backward-incompatible upgrades, requiring all nodes to upgrade to the latest version to avoid syncing to a pre-fork blockchain.

The Merge

In early December 2022, Gnosis underwent the Merge. The Gnosis execution layer (formerly xDai) has been merged with the Gnosis Beacon Chain, in a process similar to the Ethereum merge.

The Merge represents an important shift for Gnosis, replacing the legacy Proof-of-Authority consensus with the open and unpermissioned Beacon Chain Consensus. This allows Gnosis to transition to a fully decentralized and permissionless proof-of-stake network.

The Merge is also another step in Gnosis' journey together with Ethereum. From the early days of xDai at ETHDenver, Gnosis has had a role in Ethereum's journey. With the adoption of Ethereum's consensus mechanism, Gnosis will continue to contribute to Ethereum's growth as an experimental chain, where newcomers, experiments and ideas are welcome.

When did the Merge happen?​

tip

The week of 5th Dec 2022

On the 9 Nov 2022 Gnosis Core Devs call, it was agreed to target the week of 5th Dec 2022 for the Merge. Due to variances in block time, the Merge will likely happen sometime from 5th to 11th Dec 2022.

TTD​

With the 5th Dec 2022 target in mind, the Core Devs have proposed the following TTD value:

8626000000000000000000058750000000000000000000

This number was not chosen randomly: to pay tribute to the Ethereum Merge, Core Devs have proposed to include Ethereum's TTD, 58750000000000000000000, in the Gnosis Merge TTD.

Bellatrix​

Similar to Ethereum, the Gnosis Beacon Chain have had a Bellatrix epoch that occurred prior to the Merge.

danger

The Bellatrix upgrade is a hard fork. Nodes that aren't upgraded when the upgrade is released risk syncing to a pre-fork blockchain.

Timeline​

DateEvent
15 Nov 2022 (Wed)Merge Date announced publicly
23 Nov 2022 (Wed)Release of merge-ready Client Images
23 Nov 2022 (Wed)Release of revamped Validator Docs
30 Nov 2022 (Wed)Bellatrix epoch hit for Consensus Layer clients
5-11 Dec 2022 (Mon)Estimated TTD window for Gnosis Merge

How to Prepare​

For Validators​

caution

Merge-ready clients releases can be downloaded from the link below. Please check and download the latest version of release for your clients. Latest announcements will be made in the #validators channel in Gnosis Discord and on Twitter.

EL client

ClientMerge ready releaseStatus
Nethermindv1.14.6✅ https://github.com/NethermindEth/nethermind/releases/tag/1.14.6
ErigonTBA⌛ Coming soon

CL client

ClientMerge ready releaseStatus
Tekuv22.11.0✅ Available https://github.com/ConsenSys/teku/releases/tag/22.11.0
Lodestarv1.2.2✅ Available https://github.com/ChainSafe/lodestar/releases/tag/v1.2.2
Lighthousev3.3.0✅ Available (https://github.com/sigp/lighthouse/releases/tag/v3.3.0)
NimbusTBA⌛ Coming soon
PrysmN/A❌ Advised to switch to other clients.

DAppNode Packages

PackageMerge ready releaseStatus
DAppNodePackage-nethermind-xdaiv1.0.17✅ Available https://github.com/dappnode/DAppNodePackage-nethermind-xdai/releases/tag/v1.0.17
DAppNodePackage-teku-gnosisv0.1.4✅ Available https://github.com/dappnode/DAppNodePackage-teku-gnosis/releases/tag/v0.1.4
DAppNodePackage-web3signer-gnosisv0.1.9✅ Available https://github.com/dappnode/DAppNodePackage-web3signer-gnosis/releases/tag/v0.1.9
DAppNodePackage-lighthouse-gnosis0.1.4✅ Available https://github.com/dappnode/DAppNodePackage-lighthouse-gnosis/releases/tag/v0.1.4
DAppNodePackage-gnosis-beacon-chain-prysm🚫 TBA⏳ TBA
DAppNodePackage-Lodestar-Gnosis🟡 TBA⏳ After Merge
DAppNodePackage-nimbus-gnosis🟡 TBA⏳ After Merge

For DApps​