Vitalik Buterin Shares Plans to Cut Ethereum’s Bloat with 'Purge' Upgrade

Ethereum has been growing rapidly, but with this growth comes a problem—too much data. Every transaction and smart contract creates information that piles up, making the network slower and more expensive. To tackle this, Ethereum's co-founder Vitalik Buterin has introduced a new plan called the 'Purge' upgrade. This upgrade aims to reduce the amount of unnecessary data stored on the network, making Ethereum faster, more efficient, and easier to use. In this article, we’ll explore how the 'Purge' upgrade works and why it’s important for Ethereum’s future.

Vitalik Buterin’s Plan to Reduce Network Bloat

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, has proposed a roadmap to simplify and reduce the "bloat" of Ethereum’s Layer 1 over time. In a post dated October 26, Buterin highlighted that the main cause of bloat is the accumulation of protocol features and historical data.

Currently, running an Ethereum node demands around 1.1 terabytes of storage for the execution client, which connects to the network and manages its database. Additionally, hundreds of gigabytes are required for the consensus client, which supports Ethereum's proof-of-stake system.

To address this, Buterin suggested a strategy called "The Purge," which aims to minimize storage requirements by reducing the need for nodes to keep all historical data and by removing unnecessary features. This plan would help make Ethereum more efficient while ensuring the blockchain's integrity.

Buterin noted that if the network could expand to 100,000 nodes, with each node storing only 10% of the historical data, the level of data replication would be equivalent to a smaller network of 10,000 nodes where each one holds the entire history—maintaining data consistency without the burden of excess storage.

Optimizing Ethereum: Buterin’s Vision for Long-Term Scalability and Efficiency

Buterin also suggests ways to efficiently remove Ethereum’s state data—such as account balances, contract codes, and storage—elements that could otherwise increase the storage demands for clients.

"The Purge" marks the fifth part in Buterin’s ongoing series about the future development of Ethereum. Earlier this month, he outlined strategies to tackle proof-of-stake centralization risks in a segment called "The Scourge." Additionally, he introduced "The Verge," which explores simplifying the computational demands of running an Ethereum node, making it so efficient that even a smartwatch could operate one.

Discussing "The Purge," Buterin emphasized that the real challenge lies in developing a broad and effective approach for Ethereum’s scalability, technical stability, and security, ensuring a long-term, sustainable solution.