The Merge is Coming
longer supported. Kovan
on Optimism no longer
supported.
no longer supported on Alchemy.
Proof of Stake (PoS)
lands.
Proof of Stake (PoS).
Proof of Stake (PoS)
These teams have already gone Goerli. Don't be the last one.
Migrate and #TestTheMerge.
supported on Alchemy
Preparing for the Merge will involve a lot of hard infrastructure work on our end to ensure we’re able to help the transition happen smoothly.
Testnets are one of the primary application developer-facing functions that will be impacted by The Merge.
FAQs
How should I prepare for The Merge?
We highly recommend transitioning all testnet activity to Goerli ASAP. On October 5th, Alchemy will no longer support Kovan, Ropsten or Rinkeby. To maintain testnet access, switch to Goerli before October 5th, and use our Goerli Faucet - through October 5th, we’re 2x’ing the drip to 0.1 ETH!
Please follow along in the #announcements channel of our Discord for questions or concerns.
What is The Merge?
Ethereum Mainnet continues to be secured by proof of work. Eventually, the current Ethereum Mainnet will "merge" with the beacon chain proof of stake system, marking the end of proof of work for Ethereum, and the full transition to proof of stake.
When is The Merge?
~September 15th. This upgrade will represent the official switch to proof-of-stake consensus.
What are the benefits of Goerli?
Goerli is the most stable testnet, which will provide the best testing environment for mainnet contracts.
Goerli has a strong community using and maintaining the network, as well as a diverse validator client set.
By migrating to only Goerli, all testnet liquidity will be on the same testnet. This allows more composability to develop on testnets across protocols that might otherwise be hard to test together.
Why is Alchemy no longer going to support Kovan, Ropsten and Rinkeby after October 5, 2022?
Kovan and Ropsten are already deprecated by the Ethereum Foundation, and Rinkeby is soon to follow. There is a high chance Kovan and Ropsten will fail without warning, as they are no longer actively maintained. We never want developers on Alchemy to be caught by surprise, so we’ve proactively set a concrete date for deprecation to allow for a smooth transition to Goerli, which will remain an actively supported testnet.
What is driving these timelines?
We don't want you to be surprised by failing testnets. Kovan, Ropsten & Rinkeby all have short term risk of major network issues, so migrating as soon as possible to Goerli will minimize your exposure to possible network forks and stoppages.
Why switch off of Kovan now?
Kovan has been officially deprecated by the EF for well over a year. It is not receiving any network upgrades. Only two validators remain on the network and they may turndown very soon, at which point the network will halt. If you are migrating from Kovan to Goerli on Optimism, use this guide. Given that Kovan has been deprecated by the Ethereum community, in order to continue to provide our ecosystem with a stable test network that remains in sync with Ethereum post-merge, Optimism is following suit. Here, Optimism shares how they’re encouraging all projects to migrate from Kovan to Goerli by October 5th.
Why switch off Ropsten now?
Ropsten Testnet was the first major network to undergo the Proof of Work to Proof of Stake upgrade on June 8th. After merging to Proof of Stake, Ropsten is no longer supported by the Ethereum community, and there are risks of major network issues moving forward. Follow these guidelines to switch from Ropsten to Goerli.
Why switch off Rinkeby now?
Rinkeby, a geth-based proof-of-authority testnet, will not transition to proof-of-stake and will be shut down in Q2/Q3 2023. After The Merge, Rinkeby will not be a suitable testing environment for the Ethereum mainnet. Unplanned mainnet upgrades may no longer be applied to deprecated testnets. If you’re building on Arbitrum, follow these guidelines to switch from Rinkeby to Goerli.
When can I #TestTheMerge?
All web3 application developers are encouraged by the Ethereum Foundation to #TestTheMerge on Goerli.
Where do I get Goerli ETH?
Until October 5th, we’re 2x’ing the drip from the Goerli Faucet - create an Alchemy account and get 0.1 free Goerli ETH (gETH) from Alchemy's Goerli faucet.
If you need larger quantities, let us know. For more information, learn how to get test ETH from a Goerli faucet.
I rely on non-standard APIs on other testnets. Are these supported on Goerli?
All methods currently supported on Ropsten are also supported on Goerli.
Will Alchemy be supporting Sepolia in addition to Goerli?
Alchemy currently has no plans to support the Sepolia testnet. There are inherent advantages to Goerli, e.g., an open validator set for testing network upgrades and a large existing state. There are also liquidity advantages to running on one testnet, instead of splitting traffic across both. Read more about Goerli and Sepolia.
POWERING THE BEST IN BLOCKCHAIN
How should I prepare for The Merge?
We highly recommend transitioning all testnet activity to Goerli ASAP. On October 5th, Alchemy will no longer support Kovan, Ropsten or Rinkeby. To maintain testnet access, switch to Goerli before October 5th, and use our Goerli Faucet - through October 5th, we’re 2x’ing the drip to 0.1 ETH!
Please follow along in the #announcements channel of our Discord for questions or concerns.
What is The Merge?
Ethereum Mainnet continues to be secured by proof of work. Eventually, the current Ethereum Mainnet will "merge" with the beacon chain proof of stake system, marking the end of proof of work for Ethereum, and the full transition to proof of stake.
When is The Merge?
~September 15th. This upgrade will represent the official switch to proof-of-stake consensus.
What are the benefits of Goerli?
Goerli is the most stable testnet, which will provide the best testing environment for mainnet contracts.
Goerli has a strong community using and maintaining the network, as well as a diverse validator client set.
By migrating to only Goerli, all testnet liquidity will be on the same testnet. This allows more composability to develop on testnets across protocols that might otherwise be hard to test together.
Why is Alchemy no longer going to support Kovan, Ropsten and Rinkeby after October 5, 2022?
Kovan and Ropsten are already deprecated by the Ethereum Foundation, and Rinkeby is soon to follow. There is a high chance Kovan and Ropsten will fail without warning, as they are no longer actively maintained. We never want developers on Alchemy to be caught by surprise, so we’ve proactively set a concrete date for deprecation to allow for a smooth transition to Goerli, which will remain an actively supported testnet.
What is driving these timelines?
We don't want you to be surprised by failing testnets. Kovan, Ropsten & Rinkeby all have short term risk of major network issues, so migrating as soon as possible to Goerli will minimize your exposure to possible network forks and stoppages.
Why switch off of Kovan now?
Kovan has been officially deprecated by the EF for well over a year. It is not receiving any network upgrades. Only two validators remain on the network and they may turndown very soon, at which point the network will halt. If you are migrating from Kovan to Goerli on Optimism, use this guide. Given that Kovan has been deprecated by the Ethereum community, in order to continue to provide our ecosystem with a stable test network that remains in sync with Ethereum post-merge, Optimism is following suit. Here, Optimism shares how they’re encouraging all projects to migrate from Kovan to Goerli by October 5th.
Why switch off Ropsten now?
Ropsten Testnet was the first major network to undergo the Proof of Work to Proof of Stake upgrade on June 8th. After merging to Proof of Stake, Ropsten is no longer supported by the Ethereum community, and there are risks of major network issues moving forward. Follow these guidelines to switch from Ropsten to Goerli.
Why switch off Rinkeby now?
Rinkeby, a geth-based proof-of-authority testnet, will not transition to proof-of-stake and will be shut down in Q2/Q3 2023. After The Merge, Rinkeby will not be a suitable testing environment for the Ethereum mainnet. Unplanned mainnet upgrades may no longer be applied to deprecated testnets. If you’re building on Arbitrum, follow these guidelines to switch from Rinkeby to Goerli on.
When can I #TestTheMerge?
All web3 application developers are encouraged by the Ethereum Foundation to #TestTheMerge on Goerli.
Where do I get Goerli ETH?
Until October 5th, we’re 2x’ing the drip from the Goerli Faucet - create an Alchemy account and get 0.1 free Goerli ETH (gETH) from Alchemy's Goerli faucet.
If you need larger quantities, let us know. For more information, learn how to get test ETH from a Goerli faucet.
I rely on non-standard APIs on other testnets. Are these supported on Goerli?
All methods currently supported on Ropsten are also supported on Goerli.
Will Alchemy be supporting Sepolia in addition to Goerli?
Alchemy currently has no plans to support the Sepolia testnet. There are inherent advantages to Goerli, e.g., an open validator set for testing network upgrades and a large existing state. There are also liquidity advantages to running on one testnet, instead of splitting traffic across both. Read more about Goerli and Sepolia.
