The Ethereum Cancun upgrade has arrived! What can EIP-4844 bring us?

If you have interacted on-chain recently, you should have a deep understanding of a pain point: Ethereum's transaction fees are high, especially during busy network periods. EIP-4844 was created to address this issue. As a core component of the Ethereum Cancun upgrade, it is referred to as "Proto-Dank Sharding," with the aim of making transactions both cheap and fast.

## What will EIP-4844 change?

In simple terms, the core innovation of EIP-4844 is the introduction of a new data carrying method called "Blob" (. Imagine that there is a standard rate for sending packages; the emergence of EIP-4844 is like opening a new "express lane" specifically for transporting certain special data that exists briefly, is low-cost, and does not congest the main thoroughfare.

What is special about these Blobs? They are transparent to the Ethereum virtual machine ) EVM (, requiring only temporary storage, and can help Layer 2 and other applications transmit large amounts of information in a cost-effective manner. In other words, you can do the same amount of work for a lower cost.

## Why does Ethereum need EIP-4844?

The scalability of Ethereum has always been a focal point of discussion in the industry. High costs and low throughput not only affect ordinary users but also constrain the development of ecological applications. EIP-4844 directly addresses this bottleneck by increasing the amount of data that blocks can process.

After implementation, users will see the two most direct changes:

First, transactions have become faster. Blob transactions are integrated into blocks, which enhances network processing capacity and shortens transaction confirmation time.

Secondly, costs have significantly decreased. Layer 2 applications, in particular, benefit as they can batch submit transaction data to Ethereum via Blob at a cost far lower than current levels. For ordinary users, this translates to a substantial reduction in interaction costs.

## Is EIP-4844 the end?

Not exactly. EIP-4844 is more like a stepping stone to the future, paving the way for the grander "Dank Sharding" scheme. The latter will further enhance Ethereum's transaction processing capabilities while maintaining its security and decentralization.

In short, EIP-4844 is not the ultimate solution, but a key step on Ethereum's scalability roadmap. Through this Cancun upgrade, Ethereum is gradually building a more efficient and cost-effective ecosystem. For users, this means a smoother on-chain experience; for developers, it opens up the possibility of building more complex applications.