Exploring the Mechanics of EIP-4844: Blobs, Rollups and the Road to Dank-Sharding.

Exploring the Mechanics of EIP-4844: Blobs, Rollups and the Road to Dank-Sharding.

Feb 08, 2025

EIP-4844, also known as Proto-Danksharding, is a significant upgrade to the Ethereum network that aims to improve scalability and reduce transaction fees. It introduces a new type of transaction that carries "blobs" of data, which are stored separately from the main blockchain.


Key Concepts

  • Blobs: Blobs are large chunks of data that are attached to Ethereum transactions. They are stored temporarily and deleted after a certain period, which helps to reduce the storage burden on the network.
  • Blob Transactions: These are new transaction types that carry blobs. They are more efficient and cost-effective than traditional transactions for certain types of data.
  • Proto-Danksharding: This is the name given to EIP-4844 because it lays the groundwork for full Danksharding, a future scaling solution for Ethereum.


Benefits

  • Reduced Transaction Fees: By using blobs, rollups (Layer-2 scaling solutions) can submit transactions to the Ethereum mainnet at a much lower cost. This will lead to lower fees for users.
  • Increased Scalability: EIP-4844 increases the amount of data that can be processed by the Ethereum network, which helps to improve scalability.
  • Improved Efficiency: Blob transactions are more efficient than traditional transactions for certain types of data, which helps to improve the overall performance of the network.


How It Works

  1. Rollups create blobs: Layer-2 scaling solutions, such as rollups, bundle multiple transactions together and create a blob of data containing these transactions.
  2. Blob transactions are submitted: The rollup submits a blob transaction to the Ethereum mainnet, along with some proofs to ensure the validity of the data.
  3. Blobs are stored temporarily: The blobs are stored on the Ethereum network for a short period of time, typically around 20-90 days.
  4. Data is processed: The Ethereum network processes the data in the blobs and updates the state of the blockchain.
  5. Blobs are deleted: After the storage period expires, the blobs are deleted from the network.


Impact

EIP-4844 is a major step towards improving the scalability and usability of the Ethereum network. It is expected to have a significant impact on the cost of transactions, making Ethereum more accessible to a wider range of users.

Additional Resources

EIP-4844 Is Coming to Polygon: https://polygon.technology/blog/eip-4844-is-coming-to-polygon