Ethereum increases blob limit to 21 with second BPO hard fork

Ethereum has now raised the blob limit from 15 to 21 for the second part of the Blob Parameter-Only hard fork, which it completed this weekend. Within an expanding network-wide plan to promote its ambition and attract more users, it has made major progress towards that goal.

To strengthen security on Ethereum’s mainnet this weekend, the system has been expanded to process more transactions and data simultaneously, particularly on Layer 2 (L2) networks. This enhancement increases security and independence, while also increasing and stabilizing profits for investors along the way.

The hard fork began at 1:01:11 UTC, increasing the amount of data Ethereum could handle within a block. Blobs, or groups of data, are used for temporary storage. In Layer 2 networks, blobs are assembled through multiple transactions until they are returned to an Ethereum chain in this manner.

A blob is capable of storing 128 kilobytes of data. By allowing Ethereum to allocate 21 blobs for a block and thereby store up to a total of 2,688 kilobytes in just one such block (or roughly 2.6 megabytes), the amount is already multiplied many times over.

The upgrade also upped the blob target from 10 to 14. The target is the quantity that Ethereum attempts to use most of the time.

These computers require a high internet speed and sufficient storage to maintain a healthy network. Ethereum developers are attempting to increase speed without compromising the network’s security by raising the target prudently.

Blobs help keep fees low and the main network stable

Apart from enhancing speed, blobs also help maintain the Ethereum gas fee at a more moderate level. Gas fees are the tiny charges that users pay to send transactions or run smart contracts on the Ethereum network.

When many people use the network simultaneously, fees tend to increase. Layer 2 networks can utilize blobs to transfer data at a rapid pace, thereby reducing the need for a larger number of transactions to compete for space on the main Ethereum network.

It helps to reduce the traffic jams and stabilizes fees. This is a huge advantage for Ethereum developers. As layer 2s mainly use blobs, they help to regulate the main Ethereum network more evenly.

Ethereum plans bigger upgrades in 2026

This second BPO hard fork is only one component in a much larger strategy. Developers also discussed increasing the gas limit in Ethereum, for example, at an Ethereum All Core Developers meeting on December 15. It represents the limit on transaction and smart contract actions in a given block. At this point, the gas limit is 60 million. 

Developers had discussed raising it to 80 million after the second BPO hard fork. In this case, Ethereum blocks would include more activity, which could further improve speed and lower fees. Even further down the path, Ethereum is designing the Glamarsterdam hard fork, which it expects to launch later in 2026. 

This upgrade will place a strong emphasis on scalability. It will allow the gas limit to increase gradually to as much as 200 million. It’ll also enable something called perfect parallel processing. Now, Ethereum handles transactions primarily one after another, in the same way that cars flow in a single lane. 

Perfect parallel processing will enable Ethereum to process numerous transactions simultaneously, much like cars traveling on a multi-lane highway. 

This will be accomplished with the benefit of Block Access Lists, part of Ethereum Improvement Proposal 7928 (EIP-7928). This improvement will help Ethereum accommodate significantly more demand without slowing down.

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