The lower Gas costs brought by the Cancun upgrade are indeed satisfying, but there's an easily overlooked detail: the Blob data of EIP-4844 is automatically cleaned up after only 18 days on nodes. This may sound trivial, but in reality, it's quite critical—years later, trying to retrieve the history of a certain Layer2 transaction could become an impossible task.
From a technical perspective, Ethereum has its reasons for doing this: reducing node burden and lowering storage pressure. But at what cost? The complete ledger history of Layer2 is passively weakened. If we say "decentralized accounting" and can't even access data from three years ago, that’s indeed a bit embarrassing.
The logic here is quite clear: the mainnet can't handle all historical data, so someone has to take over. A feasible approach is to use trustless cross-chain mechanisms to automatically transfer soon-to-expire Blob data to dedicated data storage layers, forming a layered architecture of "hot data on Ethereum, cold data stored off-site." This way, Layer2 can enjoy the security guarantees of the mainnet without weakening verifiability due to data loss.
Ultimately, Layer2's claim of "secure and decentralized" must be backed by a complete, traceable historical ledger. The design of data storage directly affects the trustworthiness of the entire ecosystem.
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BanklessAtHeart
· 10h ago
18 days to clean up? That's hilarious. Doesn't quite match the promise of "decentralization."
Wait, so you're saying Layer2 is actually relying on the mainnet to survive?
NGL, I'm a bit worried that when we check the bills in a few years, the data might just disappear into thin air.
I think the hot-cold separation approach is okay, but who guarantees that those "cold data" won't be forgotten again?
The Cancun upgrade is great and all, but it seems the cost is higher than what was advertised.
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RugpullSurvivor
· 01-21 05:53
Oh no, clearing in just 18 days? Isn't this just digging pits for future on-chain archaeology?
The funny thing is, we still have to pretend to be "decentralized," but in reality, the historical data is deleted more ruthlessly than centralized exchanges.
To truly solve this issue, someone still needs to take over the data storage; otherwise, the entire L2 story won't hold up.
If I had known that low gas fees would be so risky, I would have just paid a bit more back then.
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MelonField
· 01-21 05:50
Gone in just 18 days? This can't be serious, it feels like Ethereum is passing the buck to Layer2.
Transactions from three years ago are untraceable, what's the point of decentralization?
This cold-hot separation scheme sounds good, but I'm worried it will end up as a failed project.
Everyone is hyping how safe L2 is, but in reality, the data foundation is leaking, it's outrageous.
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DAOdreamer
· 01-21 05:50
18 days automatic cleanup? Isn't this just a timed bomb disguised as decentralization? So ironic.
I should have known to stock up more on coins from cold data storage projects. Now it's going to explode.
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Rugman_Walking
· 01-21 05:47
Cleaning up in just 18 days? That's outrageous, it feels like they're digging a hole for the future.
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MetaMasked
· 01-21 05:31
Gone in just 18 days? Isn't this just setting a trap for the future? When it comes to tracing transaction records, we'll have to rely on "Trust my buddy."
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MetaDreamer
· 01-21 05:31
Wait, 18 days just disappeared? Isn't this just digging a hole for yourself?
The lower Gas costs brought by the Cancun upgrade are indeed satisfying, but there's an easily overlooked detail: the Blob data of EIP-4844 is automatically cleaned up after only 18 days on nodes. This may sound trivial, but in reality, it's quite critical—years later, trying to retrieve the history of a certain Layer2 transaction could become an impossible task.
From a technical perspective, Ethereum has its reasons for doing this: reducing node burden and lowering storage pressure. But at what cost? The complete ledger history of Layer2 is passively weakened. If we say "decentralized accounting" and can't even access data from three years ago, that’s indeed a bit embarrassing.
The logic here is quite clear: the mainnet can't handle all historical data, so someone has to take over. A feasible approach is to use trustless cross-chain mechanisms to automatically transfer soon-to-expire Blob data to dedicated data storage layers, forming a layered architecture of "hot data on Ethereum, cold data stored off-site." This way, Layer2 can enjoy the security guarantees of the mainnet without weakening verifiability due to data loss.
Ultimately, Layer2's claim of "secure and decentralized" must be backed by a complete, traceable historical ledger. The design of data storage directly affects the trustworthiness of the entire ecosystem.