Proto-Danksharding and Danksharding: Ethereum's Scalability Upgrade Roadmap

Ethereum faces a major challenge: as the number of users increases, network congestion and high transaction fees become increasingly severe issues. To address this problem, Ethereum developers have proposed a technical approach called danksharding—named after researcher Dankrad Feist. This is not just a technological solution but the core of Ethereum 2.0’s scalability strategy.

Proto-Danksharding: A Stepping Stone Toward Scalability

To understand Danksharding, it is first necessary to grasp Proto-Danksharding—a transitional version of this technology. Proto-Danksharding was introduced through the Ethereum Cancun upgrade via the EIP-4844 standard, serving as an important bridging step.

Instead of deploying a full sharding system immediately, Proto-Danksharding focuses on reducing data costs for Layer 2 rollups. It allows rollups to add data to blocks at lower costs through a mechanism called “blob”—temporary data packets. This has practical significance: users can perform transactions on Layer 2 with significantly lower gas fees.

Proto-Danksharding handles from 100 to 10,000 transactions per second (expected), representing a substantial improvement over current Ethereum Layer 1 but still not reaching the ultimate scale goal.

Full Danksharding: A Leap in Processing Capacity

If Proto-Danksharding is the first step, then Danksharding is the next—and a major one. Danksharding aims to enable Ethereum to process over 100,000 transactions per second, a throughput level never before achieved.

The key difference between Danksharding and traditional sharding methods lies in its architecture. In conventional sharding, each shard (segment) has its own block proposals, leading to high complexity. In contrast, Danksharding uses a single block proposal system—only one proposer for the entire network, managing all segments.

This design simplifies validation and data transmission between segments, eliminating unnecessary complexity of multiple independent block proposals. The result is an efficient, streamlined blockchain network capable of true scalability.

How Sharding Changes Ethereum’s Network Structure

To understand Danksharding, imagine a network with 1,000 nodes. In a non-sharded scenario, each node must validate and store all transactions. This creates enormous hardware and processing speed burdens.

With sharding, the network is divided into multiple smaller segments. For example, one segment handles accounts from ‘A’ to ‘E’, another from ‘F’ to ‘J’, and so on. Each segment operates independently and in parallel, processing its transactions without waiting for others.

In Ethereum 2.0, the initial plan was to divide the network into 64 segments. Each segment can process its own smart contracts and transactions, thereby multiplying the overall processing capacity of the network.

Comparison: Proto-Danksharding and Danksharding Differences

Proto-Danksharding is an immediate solution, offering significant cost efficiency improvements. Danksharding is a long-term goal, promising a fundamental change in Ethereum’s scalability.

Practical Benefits of Danksharding for Users

Danksharding offers tangible impacts:

Faster Transactions: With the ability to handle 100,000+ tx/s, transaction confirmation times will be significantly shortened.

Lower Fees: As the network can process more transactions, gas costs will decrease according to supply and demand.

Layer 2 Scalability: Rollups can operate more efficiently, opening up new dApp possibilities.

Decentralization Protection: When nodes only need to process a small portion of data, hardware requirements decrease, allowing more individual nodes to participate in the network.

Enhanced Security: The single block proposal system reduces certain attack vectors, including 51% attacks.

Danksharding vs Traditional Sharding: Fundamental Differences

Traditional sharding involves dividing the blockchain into multiple smaller chains, each processing transactions independently. This is a reasonable approach to increase throughput.

However, Danksharding goes further. It not only divides the network but also simplifies how these segments communicate and reach consensus. By using a single block proposal instead of multiple proposals across different shards, Danksharding eliminates the quadratic complexity—hence it is sometimes called “quadratic sharding” in technical documents.

This means Danksharding can scale more effectively without sacrificing security or decentralization.

Role of the Beacon Chain in This System

The Beacon Chain is the backbone of Ethereum 2.0, operating with a Proof of Stake mechanism. It is responsible for:

• Coordinating the entire sharded network
• Tracking validators (those who validate)
• Managing the consensus protocol
• Randomly assigning validators to validate segments

When Danksharding is implemented, the Beacon Chain will manage the single block proposal system, ensuring a robust and secure network.

Deployment Roadmap: From Proto-Danksharding to Danksharding

Ethereum is not jumping directly into Danksharding. Instead, it is following a phased roadmap:

Phase 1 - Proto-Danksharding (Completed): Deployed in the Ethereum Cancun upgrade via EIP-4844. This reduces costs for Layer 2 rollups.

Phase 2 - Full Danksharding (Upcoming): Expected after Proto-Danksharding, though the exact schedule is still being refined. This upgrade will introduce the single block proposal system and divide the network into 64 segments.

This step-by-step approach allows Ethereum to experiment, learn, and optimize before full-scale deployment.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ethereum Sharding

Why does Ethereum need sharding?
As the network grows, increasing transaction volume causes congestion and high fees. Sharding enables parallel processing of transactions to solve this.

Does sharding reduce decentralization?
No. Sharding is designed to maintain decentralization by lowering hardware requirements. Individual nodes do not need to process all data, so regular users can still run nodes.

How will smart contracts work across shards?
Ethereum developers are exploring ways to enable smooth operation of smart contracts across multiple shards. This is an ongoing technical challenge.

Is Danksharding secure?
Danksharding is designed with security as a priority. The single block proposal system actually reduces certain attack vectors. The Beacon Chain ensures all segments follow the rules.

Is Proto-Danksharding ready for use?
Yes. Proto-Danksharding has been active on Ethereum since the Cancun upgrade. Layer 2 users have already experienced lower costs thanks to this technology.

When will full Danksharding be launched?
The exact schedule remains flexible, but Ethereum is working toward deployment in the coming years. The process depends on research progress and testing.

What is the difference between Proof of Stake and sharding?
Proof of Stake changes how Ethereum reaches consensus (by staking funds instead of mining). Sharding changes how transactions are processed (in parallel rather than sequentially). Both are complementary in Ethereum 2.0.

What benefits will Layer 2 rollups gain?
Rollups will have cheaper data storage space (from Proto-Danksharding) and ultimately higher scalability (from full Danksharding), allowing them to process more transactions at lower costs.

Will individual nodes be affected?
On the contrary. Sharding reduces hardware requirements for nodes. Users will be able to run nodes with fewer resources, increasing network decentralization.

Why does this technology take so long to develop?
Danksharding represents a fundamental change in how Ethereum operates. It requires extensive research, testing, and security validation. Ethereum prioritizes safety over rapid development.

Conclusion: Ethereum’s Future Is Taking Shape

Danksharding is not just a technical upgrade—it reflects Ethereum’s commitment to innovation and scalability. By addressing network congestion without compromising security, Ethereum is setting new standards for blockchain technology.

Proto-Danksharding has already begun improving the situation, with Layer 2 users experiencing lower costs now. When Danksharding is fully ready, Ethereum will enter a new era—a future with fast transactions, low costs, and maintained decentralization.

This is an upgrade that every Ethereum user or cryptocurrency investor should understand. It is not just technology; it is the future of Ethereum.