Ethereum Foundation Begins Holešky Shutdown This Week: What’s Next?

Key Notes

• Holešky testnet faced validator inactivity leaks and extended exit queues after completing the Pectra upgrade in May 2025.
• The new Hoodi testnet replaces Holešky for validator testing while Sepolia handles smart contract development activities.
• Ethereum’s testing infrastructure now consists of three networks: Sepolia, Hoodi, and the 28-day resetting Ephemery testnet.

The Ethereum Foundation has initiated the planned shutdown of Holešky, a large-scale public testnet launched in 2023 for validation and protocol upgrade testing. The decision follows the completion of the Fusaka upgrade, which introduced PeerDAS, a feature designed to reduce validator bandwidth requirements and enhance scalability across layer-2 networks.

The Holešky testnet supported several critical upgrades, most recently Pectra, completed in May 2025. However, post-Pectra, the network began experiencing validator inactivity leaks and extended exit queues, according to a statement published by the Ethereum Foundation.

Ethereum

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$3 976



24h volatility:
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Market cap:
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Vol. 24h:
$36.88 B

price dived below $4,000 following the update, trading down 0.6% while Bitcoin

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$110 567



24h volatility:
1.6%


Market cap:
$2.21 T



Vol. 24h:
$61.93 B

price posted a 1.7% uptick intraday.

Ethereum Developers to Move Projects to Hoodi and Sepolia Testnets

The Ethereum Foundation launched the Hoodi testnet to resolve Holesky’s scalability challenges. Hoodi offers a fresh validator set, supporting all Pectra functionalities, and is fully equipped to test future protocol upgrades.

Holešky degradation will begin this week. The network has served its purpose for Fusaka testing and operators will start shutting down their nodes at various points over the next 10 days.

Please refer to this post for further details.

— Ethereum Foundation (@ethereumfndn) October 20, 2025

As part of the migration plan, the Ethereum Foundation encouraged staking operators and infrastructure providers to transition to Hoodi for validator testing, while dApps and smart contract developers moved their projects to Sepolia for dApps and smart contract development.

Looking ahead, Ethereum’s testing landscape will center on Sepolia for development, Hoodi for validator testing, and Ephemery for light validator simulations resetting every 28 days.

Best Wallet Presale Crosses $16.5M as Ethereum Ecosystem Evolves Post-Fusaka

Best Wallet (BEST) is a multi-chain crypto wallet offering institutional-grade security, non-custodial control, and high staking rewards.

At press time, Best Wallet’s presale has surpassed $16.6 million, with tokens priced at $0.026. With less than 48 hours before the next price tier unlocks, early participants can still join through the official Best Wallet website to secure exclusive staking rewards.

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