In the wake of the Dencun hard fork, Ethereum is undergoing a significant transformation dubbed “The Purge,” aimed at streamlining the protocol and enhancing security measures. Among the less-heralded changes is the implementation of EIP-6780, which drastically alters the functionality of the SELFDESTRUCT opcode, marking a pivotal step in Ethereum’s evolution, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin revealed in a paper.
EIP-6780, a part of Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs), simplifies the protocol by imposing restrictions on the SELFDESTRUCT opcode. The alteration introduces two significant invariants: Storage Slot Limit and Code Consistency.
With a maximum number of storage slots that can be edited in a single block, Ethereum developers now benefit from clearer constraints, enhancing efficiency and facilitating smoother client implementations.
Contracts now maintain consistent code throughout transactions or blocks, eliminating potential vulnerabilities and reducing complexity for transaction verification processes.
This move exemplifies Ethereum’s broader initiative to simplify and fortify the protocol, paving the way for future improvements. Several other “purges” are underway, including the removal of outdated precompiles, optimizations in historical data storage, and reforms in logging mechanisms.
Geth’s recent code cleanup by dropping support for pre-merge networks and initiatives like EIP-4444, which redefines historical block storage, demonstrate Ethereum’s commitment to efficiency and scalability.
