• Ethereum developers are referring to the upcoming upgrade as “Shapella” due to the combination of two upgrades, Shanghai and Capella.
• The Shanghai upgrade is on the execution side of Ethereum and Capella is on the consensus side.
• Prior to when it went through its last upgrade, the Merge, Ethereum had an old proof-of-work blockchain and a newer proof-of-stake chain.

What Is Shapella?

Ethereum developers have started to refer to the blockchain’s upcoming hard fork – in this case a key upgrade – as „Shapella.“ This merger of names comes from two different upgrades: Shanghai (on the execution side) and Capella (on the consensus side).

The Ethereum Protocol Explained

The Ethereum protocol is made up of two layers: an execution layer and a consensus layer. Prior to when it went through its last upgrade, the Merge, Ethereum had an old proof-of-work blockchain (the execution layer) and a newer proof-of-stake chain (the consensus layer). Developers decided to merge these two chains together for easier maintenance.

Why Call It Shapella?

Due to both Shanghai and Capella happening simultaneously, developers have cleverly referred to them together as „Shapella.“ This allows everyone involved in crypto trading, analysis or industry executives understand that they should refer to this upcoming hard fork by this name.

When Will Shapella Take Place?

The Shapella hard fork is expected by next month. Developers continue working on perfecting this major update so that everyone involved can make sure their systems are ready when it arrives.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Shapella is an upcoming hard fork that combines two different upgrades known as Shanghai (execution) and Capella (consensus). It’s expected by next month but developers continue working on perfecting it before then for everyone’s safety. As such, it has become known colloquially as “Shapella” – a merging of both names into one easy moniker for all involved parties.