The newest upgrade to the Oasis Network is live! 

After months of development and testing, migrating to the latest release of the Oasis Network – called Eden – was successfully completed, and Oasis Core 23.0.x release series is fully functional. 

Here’s everything to know about Eden and what comes next. 

‍What came before Eden? 

‍Starting in October, the Oasis community of validators and core engineers began preparations to initiate the Testnet upgrade. After testing, upgrade completion, and network monitoring, preparation began for the Mainnet upgrade. In early November, the highly anticipated Mainnet upgrade was announced. 

This week, at epoch 28017 (Nov 29, 10:02 UTC) the Oasis Network stopped for the scheduled Eden Upgrade. New genesis file was prepared and node operators upgraded their nodes’ to the latest Oasis Core 23.0.x release.

‍Click here to access the new Oasis Core release. 

Completing the Mainnet upgrade highlighted the uncompromising security standards held by Oasis for confidential runtimes. During the Eden Upgrade, after starting the new network from the newly prepared genesis file, an unexpected challenge was discovered. Namely, the confidential ParaTimes (i.e. Sapphire, Cipher and the Key Manager) couldn’t transition to the newly started network because of a too strict transition check which required the previous network’s validator set to sign the Eden network’s initial (i.e. the genesis) block. 

There was enough voting power to start the consensus layer but not enough validators from the previous network’s validator set signed the genesis block.

To fulfill this strict confidential ParaTimes transition check, Oasis engineers and validators prepared a creative solution that provided enough signatures of the Eden network’s genesis block. After that was solved, the Oasis Network and all its ParaTimes started churning out blocks even more smoothly than before.

An in-depth review of this and other scenarios during the entire Mainnet upgrade is forthcoming from the Oasis Foundation. 

‍What does Eden do? 

Eden represents a historic upgrade for the security, performance, and functionality of the Oasis Network. All the changes included in the newest consensus-breaking software release unlock a multitude of possibilities and improvements for everyone building on Oasis. 

“We’re proud of the tireless dedication and careful execution that comprised every hour of development by Oasis engineers this year leading up to the Mainnet upgrade,” said Jernej Kos, Director at the Oasis Foundation and Technical Lead for Oasis Core. “Our world class engineering talents continue to display their commitment to bringing better, smarter privacy to Web3, and Eden is a major step forward.” 

Here’s a short rundown of the changes made with Eden. 

• Delegators can vote in on-chain governance proposals. 
• Parallel runtimes (ParaTimes) robustness and performance improvements. 
• On-chain governance includes network parameter voting. 
• ParaTimes can obtain the latest consensus state without delay. 
• Immediate synchronization of new Oasis nodes. 
• Instantaneous ParaTime upgrades with no mandatory downtime.
• Ephemeral and state key rotations to mitigate compromised key manager nodes. 
• Nodes can distribute ParaTime bundles automatically.

‍Read a detailed rundown of all protocol upgrades in Eden. 

“All of the features and optimizations included in the Eden release create a simpler, safer environment on Oasis for users and builders,” said Tadej Janež, Director of Engineering at the Oasis Foundation. “Eden is exciting because of the cool use cases it unlocks all across Web3 that are simply not possible without the programmable confidentiality technology we’re building.”

‍What does Eden mean? 

Naming this upgrade was not an offhand decision. 

Eden continues its unique naming conventions that apply to all major network upgrades, various events and community efforts, and even the native token for the Oasis Network. 

The idea of an eden conjures notions of pristine beauty and natural perfection in both secular and religious culture. Throughout much of human history, moreover, roses have connoted a sense of secrecy, safety, confidentiality, and trust. From Ancient mythology to Medieval symbolism, roses have a rich tradition of denoting confidentiality. In short, this is how Eden fits within the Oasis Network lore. 

‍What’s next for Oasis? 

Completing the Eden upgrade marks a momentous conclusion to 2023 for the Oasis ecosystem. 

The holiday season got a bit happier.

The future of Web3 privacy got a bit brighter. 

And the security and performance of the Oasis Network got cutting edge improvements. 

Eden is one more step in the Oasis mission to bring smarter privacy to all corners of Web3. To keep up with the latest Oasis developments, check out our blog. Join the official Oasis Discord to chat with creators, engineers, and other community members. 

Better privacy won’t build itself. 

Join us.