ssv.network — the next 3 months

At this time, we want to take an opportunity to update the community and align on the next 2 to 3 months of development and other protocol-related efforts.

Our primary focus is building a thriving developer ecosystem that utilizes the SSV protocol to build decentralized staking applications. From introducing the ‘Dev Center’ through the launch of the ‘Incentivized Testnet V2’, we have devoted a significant portion of our time and resources to this goal.

We are making the final preparations to launch Testnet V2, which has been under development for more than 7 months. V2 is the brainchild of:

Almost 2 years of research and development into SSV/DVT based staking
1+ years of running a public testnet
7+ months of V2 focused development
1+ years of operating a staking service
2 hard forks, possibly more
1,235,454,623,234 drops of blood, sweat and tears

We began working on SSV/DVT in almost total obscurity. Today, there are very few people involved in ETH staking who are unfamiliar with SSV. Many people view SSV technology as a pivotal component in the Ethereum ecosystem. There are fantastic things ahead, so let’s dig in!

May 2022–1st hard fork

Updates and changes to the network’s codebase require us to fork into a new network. This hard fork will lay the foundation for Testnet V2. Operators will need to update their nodes to the latest version. However, the existing testnet (Primus) will stay up and running following the hard fork. Transitioning your current validator to the new testnet is not necessary. You can read more about the first hard fork in this post.

May/June 2022–2nd hard fork

This hard fork will retire the existing testnet, marking the final step before launching Testnet V2. We will release more details in the coming weeks.

June 2022 — Dev Center launch (beta)

The Dev Center will be a quick and easy access point for developers who want to build decentralized staking applications on top of the SSV protocol. It will feature improved documentation, use cases, a complete dev toolkit, etc.

Late June 2022 — Testnet V2 launch

A new and improved ssv.network protocol will include an overhaul of the network topology and a new smart contract layer that will add native token (test SSV, or tSSV) functionality. V2 will have most of the functionality that will be included in the version taken to mainnet. If all goes as planned, V2 will be the testnet that will carry us to mainnet. An incentivized version of V2 Testnet will ensure it’s ready for teams to roll out their staking applications in preparations for mainnet launch.

Launch date TBD — Incentivized Testnet V2 launch

A bigger, better, longer-running Incentivized Testnet. The V2 Incentivized Testnet will operate as a robust testing environment for teams building staking applications on top of the SSV protocol. The core team has already issued a framework proposal for the community to review and comment on, as significant differences exist between the previous Incentivized Testnet and the new one. There will be an increased reward pool and longer duration, but setting those aside, V2 Incentivized Testnet will be more focused on:

Active participation — Stakers and operators will need to actively engage with the protocol to receive rewards.
Proof of involvement — Users will need to have SSV tokens or other staking-related tokens to participate. Our goals are to involve as many staking communities as possible and ensure that testnet participants are genuinely engaged in the ETH staking ecosystem.
Development — We will have an exclusive and dedicated prize pool for developers who deploy staking applications on the V2 testnet. We intend to attract developers to participate early to release their SSV-based staking services immediately after mainnet launch.

Bottom line

We expect to see a wide array of SSV based staking services deployed on testnet. Stakers will be able to unlock fully decentralized staking applications and have a new way to participate in the staking economy.

The next few months are critical for the network’s progression. V2 is at the center of our development road map and we are in final preparations before it goes live. The new testnet will put the protocol and token to the ultimate test.

Buckle up 🙂