like previously announced, the Ropsten network is deprecated and is scheduled to be shut down in the coming weeks. Over the past few months, infrastructure providers have gradually stopped supporting the network and validator participation has steadily declined.
The majority of remaining validator nodes will be terminated from December 15 to 31, 2022. After this, Ropsten will no longer receive support from clients, testing, or infrastructure teams.
For reference, the next testnet to be shut down is Rinkeby. The network is expected to be operational until mid-2023, giving users and application developers the opportunity to migrate to Goerli or Seplia. This means that Rinkeby does not support The Merge, nor does it support future network upgrades. It is no longer a fully functional replica of the Ethereum mainnet.
The merger and deprecation of legacy testnet support provided an opportunity for the Ethereum community to rethink its broader approach to testnets. Proposals for purpose-built networks for stakers and developers, end-of-life criteria for testnets, etc. are being discussed. Ethereum Magician And on community calls. If you have strong opinions about the future of the Ethereum testnet, now is the time to voice them!
Cover image by: Michael Withel