Solana is making big strides to improve performance with its latest validator upgrade, aiming to solve congestion issues and boost scalability.
Agave 2.2: A Major Leap Forward
On May 5, Solana’s infrastructure firm Helius launched Agave v2.2, an updated version of the Solana validator client. This upgrade increases block capacity by 20%, pushing compute limits from 50 million to 60 million units. As a result, the network can now handle more transactions per second, greatly improving throughput and responsiveness.
The increased block size directly addresses congestion problems, making Solana more efficient and scalable for future growth.
Smarter Data Handling for Faster Transactions
Another significant improvement is the switch from Merkle trees to Account Lattice Hashes. This change reduces network load by tracking only changes in accounts rather than the entire data, making transactions lighter and faster.
Better Developer Tools and Flexibility
According to Ben Hawkins, who leads the staking ecosystem at the Solana Foundation, the upgrade also brings big benefits to developers:
- Apps can now be paused and updated without deleting them.
- Developers can modify specific parts of an app without reuploading the entire codebase, reducing resource consumption.
- Restrictions on linking app components have been removed, streamlining app development.
Easier and Safer User Experience
For end-users, Solana now supports passwordless logins. This feature enhances Web2 integration and improves overall security and user convenience.
Stability After Past Setbacks
Solana faced criticism in 2022 after several network-wide outages and the collapse of FTX, one of its major validators. However, the network has since stabilized, and this latest upgrade signals its ongoing commitment to reliability and decentralization.
