2026-01-17 06:23:25

The Ethereum development roadmap has once again attracted attention. Recently, Vitalik Buterin openly stated that over the past decade, Ethereum has made some compromises on the core goals of decentralization and privacy protection in pursuit of usability. But by 2026, the situation will change dramatically—a systematic technical rectification is about to begin.

This is not just a simple feature iteration but a comprehensive upgrade centered around three key directions:

First is lowering the barrier to running nodes. Through advanced technologies like ZK-EVM, Ethereum plans to significantly reduce the computational power and hardware costs required to operate full nodes. The goal is clear—allow ordinary users to easily participate in network validation using their home computers, breaking the monopoly of large institutions on computing power, and truly returning the network’s foundation to the community.

Second is the reconstruction of privacy features. Privacy payments will no longer be exclusive to high-end users but will become as convenient as regular transfers by default. "Social Recovery Wallets" can address the risk of losing mnemonic phrases, while cryptographic technologies like ORAM and PIR ensure that even servers cannot know what you are doing when querying on-chain data—achieving truly trace-free operations.

The third front targets data sovereignty. Tools like Helios will empower users with self-verification capabilities, allowing you to independently judge the authenticity of data obtained from RPC nodes, completely freeing yourself from blind trust in any intermediary. The interfaces of DApps will gradually migrate to decentralized storage solutions like IPFS, reducing reliance on centralized servers.

From a broader perspective, Vitalik’s series of plans point to the same vision: to bring Ethereum back to its original intention, becoming a true "world computer" without single points of failure or centralized control. This is a profound technological revolution aimed at enabling Ethereum to support a grander future.

It is worth noting that while Ethereum’s infrastructure continues to upgrade, various innovative projects within its ecosystem are also actively evolving. From technical solutions to community experiments, from mainnet optimizations to application innovations, the vitality of the entire ecosystem stems from multidimensional attempts and explorations. With breakthroughs in privacy and decentralization, these diverse projects within the ecosystem may also usher in new development opportunities.

What are your thoughts on Ethereum’s upcoming technological shift? After the comprehensive upgrade in privacy and decentralization, what new face will the ecosystem present? Feel free to share your views.

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RugPullAlertBot

· 3h ago

It sounds grand, but 2026 is still so far away. It's nice to say "rectify the chaos," but in reality, it's just admitting to previous compromises. Running a full node on the home computer is just for listening; whether the hard drive capacity is enough needs to be checked first. Is privacy payment enabled by default? In practice, it will need to be modified again and again. The IPFS set has been discussed for a long time; how many actually use it? Details are in the devil, it's easy to talk about vision now. Trust V God, but also look at the level of implementation. The era of slogans flying everywhere is over.

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¯\_(ツ)_/¯

· 3h ago

Wait, only start in 2026? That's a bit slow. Lowering hardware costs can indeed attract more people to run nodes, but it still depends on how the actual implementation turns out. I think default privacy activation is promising, but it won't be so easy to popularize. The main thing is whether V God can truly decentralize power to the community; just talking about it isn't enough. There are definitely opportunities in the ecosystem, but let's not fall into the cycle of hype and then it fading away.

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GasGrillMaster

· 3h ago

I think this shift was long overdue. To be honest, Ethereum has been too centralized over the past few years. We still have two more years until 2026. It's not too late to wait until ZK and other technologies are truly stable before making any noise. Social recovery wallets sound good, but they also seem to add complexity. Can ordinary people really understand how to use them? The key is whether we can really lower the node entry barrier; otherwise, it's all just talk. Default privacy is the right direction, but whether exchanges will be shut down by various regulations remains to be seen. Forget it, let's keep waiting. There's nothing we can change anyway. If it's to be held, then just hold.

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UnluckyValidator

· 3h ago

Is it nice to say it's about rectifying chaos, but actually it's just admitting fault? Haha If the ZK-EVM set is really pushed forward, is home computer mining making a comeback? The default privacy option sounds good, but it might still take a few more years before it can actually be used. Is Vitalik hinting that the previous approach was off track? 2026, got it. I'll remember, and we'll see if there's any hype that went too far by then. IPFS migration sounds easy to say, but when will it actually be feasible? Can the DApp ecosystem keep up?

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