In a significant development, the eagerly anticipated v1.14 upgrade to the Solana Labs validator client has been widely adopted by the network. According to a recent blog post, the upgrade was made available for mainnet-beta on May 1, 2023.
After several weeks of careful monitoring and performance evaluations, the engineers recommended that all mainnet-beta validators transition to v1.14 on May 21. As of today, May 30, the upgrade has been adopted by an impressive 97.4% of the stake.
This upgrade, version 1.14, introduces a range of highly anticipated features that will be activated gradually on the Solana blockchain. It is crucial for participants in the Solana ecosystem, including validators, builders, creators, and general users, to understand the significance of this upgrade and its impact on the network’s performance.
Notably, the Solana Lab’s validator client update necessitates the active participation of the validator network. While Solana Core engineers recommend specific releases, validators maintain the autonomy to choose when and how to upgrade.
The adoption process for v1.14 unfolded in stages. During the week of May 8, validators upgraded 10% of the mainnet-beta stake to the new version. This was followed by a 25% stake upgrade during the week of May 15.
Finally, on May 21, all validator operators were notified that they could opt to update to the new release. Once over 66.6% of the stake on the network elected to upgrade on May 22, v1.14 was officially considered adopted by the cluster.
Notable Features: Highlights Of The Solana v1.14 Release
Among the key features included in the v1.14 release is the “Get Estimated Fees” Remote Procedure Call (RPC), empowering developers to retrieve recent transaction fees and estimate future costs.
Additionally, improvements have been made to the staking program, including permissionless deactivation of delinquent stakes and optimized caching for better performance. The release also introduces the Compact Vote State Update Instruction, simplifying the process of casting votes and reducing complexity for validators.
Furthermore, turbine improvements enhance the block propagation protocol, resulting in a more efficient and seamless experience on the Solana blockchain. Extensive testing was conducted to ensure the stability, reliability, performance, and security of the v1.14 upgrade.
Solana Labs collaborated with validators and third parties, undertaking adversarial testing and providing a public security audit for the release. Quality assurance teams have performed simulations on the Testnet since September 15, 2022, with the current version running since May 1, 2023.
However, as the Solana ecosystem continues to evolve, the v1.14 upgrade marks a significant milestone in the platform’s development. Users are encouraged to explore the new features and leverage the improved performance of the network.
Related Reading | Shiba Inu Investor’s Windfall: $30k Blossoms into a Whopping $450K with Early Bets
