Moonbeam Delivers Faster Block Times on Moonbase Alpha with RT2800

Runtime Upgrade 2800 is a major milestone for the Moonbeam ecosystem, bringing the long-awaited faster 6-second block times enabled by asynchronous backing to the Moonbase Alpha TestNet. This is a momentous step toward delivering on a key promise of the Moonbeam protocol and will unlock new use cases requiring swift transaction confirmations.

TL;DR:

• Runtime Upgrade 2800 (RT2800) brings 6-second block times to Moonbase Alpha TestNet enabled by asynchronous backing.
• Asynchronous backing allows parallel execution of transaction validation and block production, increasing throughput by 2x
• Apps relying on a 12-second block cadence will need updates, and Infrastructure Engineers should expect increased infrastructure load.
• Testing on Moonbase Alpha is highly recommended before the upgrade hits Moonriver and Moonbeam (tentatively in RT2900 and RT3000)
• Other changes include a new relay chain state verification precompile, increased target block fullness, removal of deprecated Local Assets pallet, and bug fixes.

Asynchronous Backing Brings Parallelization

The star feature of RT2800 is the completion of the asynchronous backing implementation, which allows transaction validation and block production to be executed parallel on the relay chain. This parallelization reduces Moonbase Alpha’s block time from 12 seconds to just 6 seconds.

Asynchronous backing has been a multi-phase rollout, with the first two phases landing in previous runtime and client upgrades. RT2800 completes the final phase, unleashing the full benefits of this architectural enhancement for the Moonbase Alpha TestNet.

The 2x increase in throughput provided by 6-second blocks opens up new possibilities for dApps like trading, payments, and other time-sensitive use cases. However, this change will require recalibrations for applications relying on the old 12-second cadence. Keep in mind that block times are estimates, and actual block times can vary from time to time.

Faster Doesn’t Mean Free – Implications for Developers

While the shift to zippy 6-second blocks is a remarkable achievement, it does introduce some adjustments developers will need to account for:

• Apps estimating time-based on block heights will need to be updated for the new pace of block production
• For infrastructure engineers, load for storage, computing, etc, that scales with block production will likely increase
• General testing is highly recommended on Moonbase Alpha to ensure a smooth transition

The Moonbeam team recommends rigorous testing of all applications and infrastructure on Moonbase Alpha in preparation for this significant change in block times.

Moonriver and Moonbeam are tentatively scheduled to enable asynchronous backing and 6-second blocks in RT2900 and RT3000, respectively, pending the same upgrade happening first on the Kusama and Polkadot relay chains.

Other Notable RT2800 Changes

In addition to asynchronous backing, RT2800 includes:

• A new precompile to verify relay chain state from smart contracts, reducing oracle reliance
• Increase the target block fullness from 25% to 50% to allow more transactions per block
• Removal of the deprecated “Local Assets” pallet
• Fix for an account formatting bug impacting “transferable amounts”
• Correction of an issue causing mismatching fee amounts in Ethereum receipts

The Moonbeam platform continues rapid iteration, with RT2800 marking another major stride in delivering on the protocol’s powerful vision. Developers are encouraged to fully utilize the Moonbase Alpha TestNet to prepare for the 6-second reality coming to Moonriver and Moonbeam.

Conclusion:

Completing the asynchronous backing implementation in Runtime Upgrade 2800 is a major milestone for the Moonbeam ecosystem. This upgrade unlocks 6-second block times, delivering on a key promise of the Moonbeam protocol and enabling new use cases that require swift transaction confirmations. Faster throughput is a remarkable achievement and comes with minor adjustments that developers must consider.

Moonbeam continues its rapid iteration, with RT2800 marking another significant stride in delivering on the protocol’s powerful vision. Developers are encouraged to take full advantage of the Moonbase Alpha TestNet to prepare for the 6-second reality that will soon come to Moonriver and Moonbeam.

For more information on Runtime 2800, check out the release notesGo to page https://github.com/moonbeam-foundation/moonbeam/releases/tag/runtime-2801.