Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin has been quite active on social media lately, first reviewing the previous direction of Layer 2, and then outlining new plans for the future of Ethereum.
This has heightened expectations for the Ethereum Glamsterdam upgrade in the first half of this year. What exactly does Glamsterdam, the most important Ethereum update of the first half of the year, include?
Looking at the current partner from the perspective of the "ex".
Before we can understand Glamsterdam, we need to understand its predecessor – the Fusaka Upgrade.
Fusaka is a data layer upgrade for Ethereum. It introduces two key features: PeerDAS and EOF.
PeerDAS: It doesn't require downloading all the data, only a small portion. Like a sampling survey, it doesn't need to ask everyone, but only a small group, to infer the situation of the entire population. Combined with ZK proofs, even downloading only 1/16 of the total data can confirm data integrity, significantly improving Ethereum's network throughput.
EOF can be understood as an internal reform of the EVM. It makes the EVM's code structure clearer, more modular, and easier to optimize. EOF is like giving the EVM a "renovation," making its internal structure more rational.
If Fusaka is a "data layer upgrade," then Glamsterdam is an "execution layer upgrade." Fusaka primarily addresses "how to transmit data," while Glamsterdam addresses "who produces blocks."
The core of Glamsterdam—ePBS and BAL
ePBS separates the block packaging and verification processes—block builders are responsible for packaging transactions, proposers are responsible for proposing blocks, and validators are responsible for verifying blocks. Each role performs its specific task well, allowing block builders to more aggressively package more transactions, as proposers and validators will check them for them, eliminating concerns about security.
Can't Ethereum do this now? Yes, it can, but it relies on relays like Flashbots to separate "proposal" and "build". Validators are only responsible for "proposing blocks", while builders are responsible for packaging transactions to earn MEV (Maximum Extractable Value).
This creates a black box, and the consequences of having to trust a third-party relay can lead to malfunctions, censorship, attacks, or centralization.
ePBS has incorporated this power separation mechanism into the protocol (EIP-7732), making it "on-chain auction + protocol enforcement," which solves the trust problem and improves network efficiency.
The Block Access List (BAL) allows the block packer to inform the validators in advance: "The transactions in this block will access these accounts and storage locations." With this information, the validators can prepare by loading this data from the hard drive into memory. Then, the validators can examine multiple transactions in parallel, instead of one by one. It's like a factory assembly line: where previously one worker was responsible for the entire product, now multiple workers handle different parts simultaneously.
The combination of these two factors creates a dual reinforcement – increased efficiency and resistance to censorship.
However, for ePBS to function fully, another piece of the puzzle is needed—the Fork Selection Mandatory Include List (FOCIL). FOCIL allows validators to publish a list of transactions that "must be included." If the builder doesn't include these transactions, the validator can reject the block using fork selection rules. This provides validators with a "last line of defense," preventing excessive censorship by the builder.
However, launching ePBS and FOCIL simultaneously would be highly complex. Therefore, FOCIL will have to wait until the second upgrade of Hegotá this year.
Potential impacts of Glamsterdam
In addition to ePBS and BAL, Gas fee repricing and multi-dimensional Gas will also be included in the Glamsterdam upgrade, which will make transactions cheaper for ordinary users and increase the overall capacity of the network again, but at the cost of increased fees for some developers (who need to build new states).
For stakers, the income model is clearer, they have greater choice in blocks, and MEV rewards are smoother. This also means that the MEV ecosystem will change, and some applications that rely on existing methods to earn MEV may face adjustments.
As validators gain more power, new application opportunities will emerge. For example, there may be new "validator service" applications that help validators better select blocks.
However, the Glamsterdam upgrade is certainly not perfect. As mentioned earlier, while ePBS will arrive in the upgrade, it will still be a complete system without FOCIL. This update is quite complex and gives validators more power. Besides its stability after practical implementation, whether this decentralization will lead to a new form of centralization at the validator level is also a point of concern.
Vitalik also admitted that "ePBS only prevents builder centralization from spreading to the staking layer, but the problem of block builder centralization itself remains." Toxic MEVs (sandwich attacks, preemptive attacks) may just continue to exist "in a different place".
In the long run, however, the greatest significance of the Glamsterdam upgrade may be "decentralization." Vitalik's dedication to and idealism regarding decentralized theory may lead to greater trust in Ethereum from traditional finance and even the world. Time may reveal the true answer to this dedication in the price of Ethereum.
Since last year, Ethereum has increased its major updates to twice a year. No longer lying low, Ethereum is now "racing against time," and perhaps it truly will regain its former glory.
