Enhancing Transaction Speed on the Ethereum Network

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has introduced new strategies to decrease transaction confirmation times on the Ethereum network. In a recent blog post, Buterin highlighted the importance of reducing latencies to meet the requirements of certain applications demanding near-instant transactions.

Buterin acknowledged Ethereum's progress over the years but emphasized the need for further enhancing user experience. He proposed various methods to boost transaction speeds, such as the implementation of single-slot finality (SSF) to streamline the current slot and epoch structure.

One of the challenges with SSF is the potential burden it might place on Ethereum stakers, requiring them to publish two messages every 12 seconds, posing a significant load on the network.

Another suggestion by Buterin is the introduction of 'based preconfirmations,' allowing users to pay extra fees for immediate transaction assurances. This concept revolves around a standardized protocol where users can offer supplementary fees in return for speedy transaction confirmation in the upcoming block, applicable to layer-2 solutions like Optimism, Arbitrum, and Base.

While Bitcoin's block time is approximately 10 minutes, making it less suitable for daily transactions, Ethereum offers a faster block generation time of around 12 seconds. Nonetheless, Ethereum lags behind competitors like Solana, which can generate blocks in just 0.4 seconds. Buterin recognizes that a 12-second block time may suffice for specific applications like Ethereum-based domains, yet for those desiring quicker solutions, the current 'slot-and-epoch architecture' remains the primary choice.