The Hidden Hero of the Cancun Upgrade: How EIP-4844 Changes Ethereum

The congestion problem of Ethereum needs urgent resolution

If you have used Ethereum recently, you must have some complaints about the outrageous transaction fees and the tortoise-like speed of transactions. Once the network traffic surges, the costs double, which has become the main reason many users abandon on-chain interactions. The Ethereum development team is well aware of this pain point, so in the latest Cancun upgrade, they introduced a groundbreaking solution—EIP-4844.

What is EIP-4844? A Revolution in Network Capacity

EIP-4844, fully known as Ethereum Improvement Proposal 4844, is commonly referred to as “Proto-Dank Sharding.” In simple terms, it is a set of scalability tools developed for Ethereum, with the core goal of significantly increasing transaction speed and reducing costs while maintaining security.

The innovation of this proposal lies in the introduction of a new data storage mechanism – Binary Large Objects (Blob). Unlike traditional transaction data, Blob data has ephemeral characteristics and does not need to be permanently recorded by the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), allowing it to carry more information without increasing the burden on the chain.

The Ingenious Design of Blob Data

Think of a Blob as a “temporary storage box.” You can put a large amount of data in it, and it will stay on the network for a short time for applications to use, and then it will automatically clear. The cleverness of this design lies in:

• Low Cost: Compared to permanently storing transaction data, the cost of Blob is much cheaper.
• Does not take up space: Since it is not recorded by the EVM, it will not expand the size of Ethereum blocks.
• Sufficient Data: Although temporary, the Blob can still carry enough information to meet application needs.

How EIP-4844 Works

In short, the mechanism of EIP-4844 allows blocks to carry Blob data. Transactions that include Blobs will be processed in a special way to ensure that the network runs smoothly at all times. As Ethereum contributor Ben Edgington puts it: “EIP-4844 binds binary large objects to blocks,” and it is this simple yet powerful action that opens a new door for Ethereum scalability.

Actual Changes Users Can Feel

Once EIP-4844 is fully implemented, Ethereum users will experience two significant improvements:

Transaction Speed Enhancement — No longer a slow crawl, but a significantly faster confirmation speed, especially noticeable during peak times.

Significant Cost Reduction — The Blob mechanism allows for the transmission of large amounts of data at a cost far lower than traditional methods, meaning that each of your transactions will be cheaper, and the DApp user experience will improve.

Stepping Stone to Dank Sharding

It is worth noting that EIP-4844 is not the ultimate solution, but rather a key step towards a grander goal. Its nickname “Proto-Dank Sharding” aptly illustrates this point — the true “Dank Sharding” is the ultimate scalability vision for Ethereum, which aims to achieve new heights of network processing power while ensuring security.

Therefore, EIP-4844 is not only a relief for current issues but also paves the way for the future of Ethereum.