Ethereum, the biggest altcoin in the world by market capitalization, is a well-known place for innovation and development. Over the years, the ecosystem has seen several updates, each set to make the trading environment more secure and easier to navigate. Recently, an important upgrade was launched in order to mitigate the environmental risks associated with the resource-intensive mining process. Since the procedure used to mint new coins and conclude transactions requires a considerable amount of energy, investors and developers have frequently come under scrutiny for the fundamental unsustainability of the blockchain.
Just a few months into 2024, users are already discussing the arrival and opportunities of the upcoming upgrade. For those looking to buy more coins, the fastest alternative is to buy Ethereum with credit card and add it to your wallet where it can amass value over time.
Dencun
The Dencun upgrade, officially set to launch on March 13th, approximately a month before the next Bitcoin halving, is the latest update of its kind that the entire ETH community is talking about. Its chief purpose is to increase scalability, making the blockchain more accessible to navigate. Since the systems are extensive and contain massive amounts of data, they can become difficult to get through after a while. This leads to lags, which, in turn, makes the blockchain inefficient. The Goerli testnet was the first to receive the Dencun upgrade.
While the launch in this area was ultimately successful, the beginning was a little rocky. There was a bug that caused a momentary delay, but the situation was soon remedied. Later, the deployments on Sepolia and Holesky went considerably smoother. Now, investors expect its arrival on the mainnet, as well as the ways it will impact the Ethereum community and transactions from now on.
Proto-danksharding
Dencun will be the first update to introduce the concept of proto-dank sharding, also known as EIP-4844. It refers to a new way of carrying out transactions that use blobs of data. Its main aim is to boost Ethereum capacity and allow the handling of much larger amounts of transactional data. The new technology will replace the previous calldata, and is set to reduce the overall costs and fees associated with transactions.
Data blobs will also improve efficiency, through their ability to make data available through the means of compressed formats. Ideally, the fees will decrease anywhere between 80% and 90%. This is similar to the effects of the Shanghai upgrade, which also reduced the emissions resulting from mining by over 90%. The exact format as the one used for the Dencun upgrade will also be employed to power a complete sharding upgrade in the future.
So, when you take into account all the advantages that come with this update, it can seem incredible that developers haven’t come up with it earlier. However, many researchers currently believe that the Dencun is merely a momentary solution, and that the Ethereum blockchain needs further functionality to truly improve.
Higher capacity
According to skeptics, ETH’s biggest challenge is capacity, and it is this hurdle that must be overcome in the future. The network’s ability to augment in size and increase its abilities without losing the quality and speed of its services might be the true challenge. The blockchain platform must be ready to support an ever-growing number of transactions and perhaps even employ multi-chain solutions.
Rollup tech can be employed to build appchains, blockchains that are application specific. These systems can be added to the mainnet or even on L2 chains. The transactions are then offloaded from the mainnet and processed directly by the appchain. The technology could increase the capacity a lot. The simple rollups are typically not as efficient as the appchains, as they need to rely on the mainnet and tend to be less flexible.
On the other end, they are relatively easy to manage. Multi-chain solutions are also not so straightforward to use and rely on a complex infrastructure in order to operate adequately. For instance, resource management issues should be remedied, and any diminished latency reduced. There’s a lot of consideration and work that needs to go into creating this new system. Developers must first be aware of all the technical intricacies of this system.
And, of course, any design must be user-friendly and promote good integration and utilization. It’s important that the speed of development doesn’t exceed the necessity for well-planned growth.
Price
The Ethereum price has been an important topic lately as well. Over the past couple of years, price points have been going through very troublesome episodes. Much of the growth of 2021, when the crypto market was at its strongest, went down the drain. 2022 saw considerable losses and strong market fluctuations as the bear market kept the cryptocurrency environment on a downtrend. While most investors expected 2023 to offer a more positive experience, it didn’t bring the growth that many were anticipating.
The past twelve months succeeded in elevating the prices and providing more stability for investors, but stagnation and uncertainty were still the common denominators. The increased push for regulations led many to be unsure of their strategies and be hesitant with their transactions. But most analysts and crypto users are optimistic about 2024 and believe this to be the year when values finally reach more solid ground.
Ethereum could go well above $3,000 during the first quarter of the year. With the possibility of an ETF approval now that the infrastructure exists for the Bitcoin-based ones that entered the market on January 10th and the new updates, there are actual reasons to have a favorable view of the future of cryptocurrencies. Add to that the next halving event that is set to arrive shortly and which will certainly influence the entire market, not just Bitcoin itself.
To sum up, the cryptocurrency market is set for changes in 2024. Prices are expected to grow after the stagnation of the past few years, and investors must prepare their strategies to ensure the growth and development of their portfolios. Since digital assets change and shift so quickly, with the market recording so many fluctuations, having a solid strategy is a must. Without the right plan, you’re more likely to record losses than gains, and that’s not something any trader wants.
