As previously announced, Holešky TestNet has reached its planned end-of-life date and will soon be sundown. Most of the remaining validator nodes will be shut down two weeks after the Fusaka upgrade is finalized in Holešky. After this, Holešky will no longer be supported by clients, tests, or infrastructure teams.
After the launch of Hoodi TestNet in March 2025, infrastructure providers and staking operators had the opportunity to migrate their test operations.
background
Holešky was launched in 2023 as Ethereum’s biggest public testnet. It is specifically designed to test large staking infrastructure and validation operations. The network serves its purpose, allowing thousands of validators to test upgrades to Dencun networks and, more recently, upgrades to protocols, including Pectra.
However, following the activation of the Pectra Testnet in early 2025, Halsey experienced widespread inactivity leaks, resulting in a large exit queue. While the network was recovering and confirmed, it was not practical to test the full Valitter lifecycle within a reasonable time frame due to the long validator exit process. This created and launched the hoodie in March 2025, providing a fresh testing environment without these restrictions.
Migration path
Staking operators and infrastructure providers should move to hoodies that have been launched specifically to specially focus on Hoodie restrictions. Hoodi will provide a fresh set of verification equipment, support all Pectra features and activate future protocol upgrades, including future Fusaka Fork.
Applications and tooling developers who were using Holešky should use Sepolia instead. This remains the recommended test for smart contracts and DAPP tests.
Current Testnet Landscape
Following the Halsea sunset, the Ethereum testnet ecosystem is:
Sepolia: Applications and Touring Development hoodhoodi: Validators and Staking Providers Test Femer: Lightweight Validator Lifecycle Test with Reset Reset Every 28 Days
I’m looking forward to it
Holešky provided valuable insight into large-scale verification operations and helped upgrade important protocols for stress testing. These learnings directly inform both hoodie design and broader protocol testing practices.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to running, maintenance and testing at Holešky over the past few years!
