EIP-7045

EIP-7045 is an Ethereum Improvement Proposal to extend the maximum inclusion slot for attestations from 1 rolling epoch to 2 non-rolling epochs. With EIP-7045, validators can attest to the slot in the current epoch, plus the complete subsequent epoch.^[1]

Overview

Ethereum blockchain is made up of blocks and attestations. Each attestation can be thought of as a vote on a given block to signal its ‘correctness.’ Attestations for a specific slot must be included in a block within a predefined time window to be considered valid by Ethereum’s consensus mechanism. For the uninitiated, time in Ethereum is divided into epochs, with each epoch containing 32 slots; a slot is a period of 12 seconds in which blocks can be proposed and validated.

With EIP-7045, validators have up to, but not necessarily, 64 slots to include attestations and receive rewards extending the window for validators to attest to blocks, speeding up Ethereum's block confirmation process, and enhancing network efficiency. Validators play a crucial role in confirming block validity through attestations. ^[1]^[3]

During Ethereum's block confirmation process for the block validation, the handoff happens sometimes too quickly leaving validators scrambling to keep up. Then, EIP-7045 comes into play adding an extra lap to the process, giving validators more time to ensure a smooth handover. By extending the time available for validators to confirm blocks, EIP-745 aims to speed up the confirmation process and boost network efficiency. ^[3]

Since Ethereum switched from PoW becoming PoS, its pledge scale continued to expand. While increasing network security, Ethereum gradually evolved into Liquid Staking Derivative(LSD), Restaking, and other gameplay methods. However, the withdrawal mechanism and security risks of Ethereum staking have brought poor user experience. For this reason, EIP-7044 and EIP-7045 in the Dencun upgrade have optimized the staking experience reducing block confirmation time.^[4]