Ethereum's EIP-7983: A Gas Cap to Stop DoS Attacks

A new proposal, EIP-7983, aims to significantly bolster the Ethereum network's defenses against Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks. Developed by Ethereum researcher Toni Wahrstätter and co-founder Vitalik Buterin, this update introduces a crucial gas usage limit.

Preventing Network Disruption with a Gas Cap

EIP-7983 proposes a gas usage cap of 16.77 million gas units (2^24) per transaction. This seemingly simple solution addresses a critical vulnerability: single transactions consuming nearly the entire block gas limit, leading to network instability. The proposal argues this limit provides a balance, enabling complex transactions like smart contract deployments and DeFi interactions while maintaining predictable and fair execution.

How the Gas Cap Works

The EIP specifies that any block containing a transaction exceeding the 16.77 million gas unit limit will be rejected. This applies regardless of the overall block gas limit set by miners or validators. Transactions exceeding the cap will return an error code.

To accommodate larger transactions, the proposal suggests splitting them into smaller, manageable units, minimizing the risk of a single transaction overwhelming the network.

Addressing the Root Causes of Instability

The developers highlight the current risks associated with gas-intensive transactions. These include:

• DoS Vulnerability: Single large transactions can effectively shut down the network.
• Scalability Issues: Uneven load distribution caused by large transactions impacts overall network performance.
• Zero-Knowledge Virtual Machine (zkVM) Compatibility: Gas-intensive transactions create incompatibility issues.

By implementing the gas cap and promoting the splitting of large transactions, the developers aim to create a more stable and scalable Ethereum ecosystem.

Impact and Future Steps

While the proposal anticipates minimal impact on most users and dApps (as current transactions largely fall under the proposed limit), its implementation requires careful consideration of potential technical trade-offs. The developers believe this proactive measure will enhance Ethereum's resilience and scalability for long-term growth.

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