What Is EIP-4844?

EIP-4844, also known as proto-danksharding, is an Ethereum upgrade designed to make transactions faster and more affordable. It is part of the Ethereum Cancun update and introduces a new type of transaction that includes temporary data segments called blobs.
These blobs allow Ethereum to handle more data efficiently, helping the network process a larger number of transactions per second while reducing overall fees for users.

How It Works

EIP-4844 adds a new transaction format known as a blob-carrying transaction. These transactions contain additional blobs of data that are processed outside the main Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) space. Because these blobs are stored only temporarily and are not accessible to the EVM, they reduce congestion and make the network more efficient.
By attaching blobs to Ethereum blocks, EIP-4844 expands the data capacity of each block. This means the network can process more transactions in less time without overloading the system, leading to lower gas fees and smoother performance.

Benefits

Faster Transactions: The introduction of blob-carrying transactions increases throughput, allowing Ethereum to handle more operations per second.
Lower Costs: Blobs provide a cost-effective way to manage additional data, helping reduce gas fees and making the network more accessible.
Scalability: EIP-4844 serves as a key step toward future upgrades like danksharding, preparing Ethereum to support massive scaling while maintaining security.
Improved User Experience: Users benefit from faster confirmations and lower costs, which make decentralized applications and DeFi services easier to use.

Conclusion

EIP-4844 marks an important milestone in Ethereum’s journey toward scalability and efficiency. By introducing blob-carrying transactions, it reduces network congestion, cuts costs, and improves performance for all users. This upgrade also lays the foundation for danksharding, a future enhancement that will take Ethereum’s capacity and speed to the next level.