EIP-4844

Key points

• EIP-4844, also called proto-danksharding, is an Ethereum network upgrade focused on reducing the costs of layer-2 solutions.
• It created a new type of temporary, cheaper data space for layer-2s to publish their information.
• The goal is to expand the network's capacity and make layer-2 transactions more affordable.

What is EIP-4844?

EIP-4844 is an Ethereum network upgrade, also known by the nickname proto-danksharding. It emerged from a practical problem: layer-2 solutions, which process transactions off the main network to gain scale, need to record data on the base network, and that recording was expensive. The upgrade introduced a cheaper way to do this, reducing the cost of those solutions.

How it works

The core innovation is a new type of data attachment, often called a blob. Unlike the data the network stores permanently, these attachments are temporary: they remain available for a limited period and are then discarded. Because they don't need to be kept forever, they cost much less, and it's precisely this cheaper space that layer-2 solutions started using to publish their information.

This design makes sense because layer-2s don't need their data to be stored indefinitely on the base network. They need the data to be available long enough for anyone to verify it and, if necessary, reconstruct the state. By offering a space suited to this need, the upgrade drastically reduces the cost per transaction on these layers, without overloading the network's permanent storage.

The nickname proto-danksharding indicates that this is a preliminary step in a larger scalability plan. The idea is that it lays the groundwork for broader future developments, already introducing the temporary data structure that will serve as its foundation. In practice, the upgrade was important for significantly reducing the cost of operating on layer 2, making these networks more accessible.

Understanding this mechanism helps explain why transactions on certain networks became cheaper.

Why it matters

Understanding EIP-4844 helps explain how the Ethereum network reduced the cost of layer-2 solutions and why operating on them became more affordable. For those seeking cheaper transactions, this is relevant infrastructure context. This is a technical concept and does not represent any recommendation to trade or operate.

Limitations

EIP-4844 reduces costs, but it is an intermediate step in a larger scalability plan, not a final solution. The data attachments are temporary by design, which requires layer-2 solutions to ensure availability in time. Gains vary depending on demand and each network's implementation. None of this represents a recommendation to trade or operate.