Vitalik Buterin, one of the co-founders of Ethereum, has recently published an article titled “The Purge,” where he addresses the significant challenges that Ethereum faces. Buterin acknowledges that over time, blockchains like Ethereum tend to suffer from bloat and complexity. This is primarily due to the need to store historical data for every transaction and the difficulty of removing outdated protocol features.
To ensure a sustainable future for Ethereum, Buterin suggests that the platform needs to find ways to compensate for these issues. While it is essential to avoid unnecessary complexity, it is equally important to maintain the immutability of the blockchain so that users can access their funds even after years of inactivity. Striking the right balance between these two objectives is crucial for the future of the protocol, as it strives to prevent both bloating and constant changes.
Currently, a fully synced Ethereum node consumes around 1.1 terabytes of data storage, mainly for archive data. In light of this, Buterin proposes radical solutions, such as allowing nodes to store only a portion of the history. By employing techniques similar to those used in torrent networks, the Ethereum ecosystem can increase efficiency and reduce storage requirements.
Another proposal by Buterin is the concept of “state expiry,” which involves designing state objects that decay over time. This approach could help alleviate the storage issues faced by Ethereum nodes on a daily basis. However, implementing this solution comes at the expense of user-friendliness and developer flexibility.
To address the storage challenges, Buterin suggests various proposals, including shrinking the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) or eliminating non-essential features and transaction types that are no longer in use. Additionally, Buterin emphasizes the importance of upgrading the EVM Object Format (EOF) to ensure backward compatibility.
In conclusion, the future of Ethereum largely depends on simplifying processes and effectively managing historical data. By accepting new storage models and implementing necessary protocol changes, Ethereum can maintain its strength as a platform for decentralized applications (dApps).