Ethereum’s Holesky Testnet: Launch
Ethereum’s Holesky Testnet was first announced in 2023. However, it has faced roadblock after roadblock, delaying its launch. Now, two years later, it has finally gone live. But what is this update, and what took so long?
Keep reading to learn all about the Holesky Testnet on Ethereum, and all the problems it has faced in its long journey to life.
What is Ethereum Holesky Testnet?
The Ethereum blockchain started out as an easy-to-use, decentralized blockchain that allowed developers to create their own dApps. As Ethereum grew more popular, however, prices began to rise, and soon, gas fees were too high for many developers to consider the platform for testing purposes—forcing developers to release apps that were full of bugs and then struggle with the cost to fix them.
Thus, the creators of Ethereum designed the Holesky Testnet, a fee-free testing environment where dApp developers could work. This way, they could perfect their apps for free before launching them on chain and needing to pay costly fees to ensure perfection.
Prior to Holesky, Ethereum had another testnet by the name of Goerli, but over the years this testnet had become terribly outdated. Holesky was supposed to be the new and improved version, with capabilities to mimic the new and improved Ethereum as well as the ability to grow with the platform.
Holesky testnet is named after a subway station in Prague by the name of Nádrazí Holesovive.
Why Was Holesky Deployment Delayed?
Holesky was supposed to deploy on September 15th, 2023, but it didn’t actually fully deploy until March 12th, 2025. This delay occurred for a number of reasons that seemed to just keep piling on the blockchain creators.
Problem 1: Configuration Error
The first problem encountered was a configuration error, which led to an initial delay, with Holesky launching on September 28th, 2023. However, the initial launch didn’t include the full capabilities of the platform due to a delay in the software of the EVM itself, which brings us to issue number two.
Problem 2: Ethereum’s Pectra Was Delayed
Ethereum had planned for a software upgrade in 2023 known as Pectra, but this upgrade suffered delays as well, which led to delays in the testnet that coincided with Pectra (aka Holesky).
We aren’t developers ourselves, so we aren’t sure which capabilities were available on the Holesky testnet while the team rushed to launch Pectra and get them back on their goals.
This delay was so substantial that a temporary testnet was deployed, called Sepolia, to bridge the gap. Pectra was tested in February 2025 and finally officially launched on March 6th, 2025.
Problem 3: Bugs in the System
You would think that when Pectra launched, it would be easy to flip the switch and turn Holesky on as well. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case, and the sheer number of bugs found on the first day of Pectra launch delayed the launch of Holesky even further.
Finally, on March 12th, 2025, enough bugs were cleared that the Holesky testnet was able to launch with near-full functionality.
What Are the Benefits of Holesky?
There are so many benefits to using the Holesky testnet and we are so glad that it was finally able to launch. Below are some of the major benefits of using this testnet, though we are sure there are many more we forgot to include.
· Increased validator capacity: Holesky has 1.4 million validators.
· Holesky has a staking mechanism, more directly mirroring the functionality of the actual blockchain.
· Holesky has the ability to grow to match the capabilities of the next coming update, Dencun.
· Increased fixed supply of testnet tokens to make testing go more smoothly.
What Happens to Goerli/Sepolia?
Goerli is, by this point, quite outdated, as it has been with the blockchain since before 2023. Following the successful launch of Holesky, it will be permanently decommissioned in the next few weeks, something which developers everywhere will rejoice.
Goerli has long suffered lacking functionality when compared to the real blockchain, and during periods of high use, many developers found themselves unable to test due to token shortages.
Sepolia, on the other hand, was developed more recently than Goerli, and has been updated to function with the Pectra fork, though we expect that it too will be decommissioned once Dencun launches.
Sepolia was designed to be a bridge between Goerli and Holesky, so while it has helped tremendously to build the gap left over the last several years, it was never meant to advance forever. At this point, we recommend that all developers work on transferring to Holesky before Sepolia becomes obsolete.
How Do You Use Holesky?
Using Holesky is actually deceptively easy, though you will need to set up your wallet in advance. Holesky is interoperable with MetaMask, and all you need to do is add the Holesky network to your wallet. You can do this via a manual add with the following information:
Network Name: Holesky Testnet
Network URL: https://ethereum-holesky.publicnode.com
Chain ID: 1700
Currency symbol: ETH
Block Explorer URL: https://holesky.beaconcha.in
Once you have added the testnet to your network, you can visit the Holesky faucet to receive free ETH to use during the development and testing process. Generally, faucet transactions are limited to 1 ETH per visit, so ensure you are aware of this before planning your testing phase.
**Keep in mind that Holesky will only benefit developers. If you are not a developer, there is no reason to visit Holesky.
Overall, although it took a long time to come to life, the Holesky Testnet is a move in the right direction for Ethereum. Of course, they’ve lost a bit of momentum over the past few years of update struggles, but these, unfortunately, could not be helped.
We look forward to the future of Ethereum and Web3 and hope that developers will enjoy the benefits of the Holesky testnet, which is now live and ready for use!
