Vitalik launches a proposal that could change Ethereum forever: he wants to limit gas

Vitalik Buterin has proposed limiting gas per transaction on Ethereum with EIP-7983, seeking to strengthen security, stability, and compatibility with zkVM. This technical and philosophical shift could redefine the future of the network.

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, along with researcher Toni Wahrstätter, presented the EIP-7983, an initiative that seeks to establish a maximum gas limit per transaction of 16,77 million. Although Ethereum already has a gas limit per block, currently close to 35 million, this proposal introduces for the first time a restriction at the individual transaction level.

The goal, according to Buterin's proposal, is to prevent a single transaction from consuming a block's entire capacity, which poses a risk to network stability and opens the door to potential denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. Under the current system, an extremely complex transaction can overwhelm a block, crowding out other legitimate operations and generating unpredictable spikes in congestion and fees.

However, EIP-7983 seeks to distribute gas consumption more equitably, promoting a more stable and predictable network. Furthermore, this measure would facilitate integration with emerging technologies such as zero-knowledge virtual machines (zkVMs), which require more segmented and lightweight transactions to operate efficiently.

Security, compatibility, and a more predictable network

La proposal Buterin's proposal not only aims to improve Ethereum's technical security but also to strengthen its adaptability to new scalability tools. zkVMs, for example, are gaining prominence as a solution for running complex calculations off the main chain, while maintaining privacy and reducing the computational burden. Therefore, limiting gas usage per transaction would allow heavy operations to be divided into more manageable chunks, optimizing their verification and execution.

From a user perspective, the impact would be minimal. Most current transactions are well below the proposed limit, so they would not be affected. Only extremely complex operations, such as certain smart contracts or advanced DeFi interactions, would need to be adapted, split into multiple transactions.

For developers, this represents an opportunity to write more efficient and modular code. The proposal could also encourage more sustainable practices in dApp design, avoiding excessive resource usage and promoting a cleaner and more scalable architecture.

A strategic shift from previous proposals: from expansion to containment

The most striking thing about EIP-7983 is that it represents a change of direction from Vitalik's own previous proposals. In recent months, he had suggested increasing the block gas limit to improve network performance and support the growth of Layer 2 solutions. This strategy sought to expand Ethereum's capacity without compromising its censorship resistance.

However, the new proposal focuses on controlling excessive gas usage at the transaction level, without modifying the global block limit. It's a surgical measure, designed to prevent isolated abuses without affecting the overall functioning of the network. In Buterin's words, it aims to "close the door to monstrous transactions" that could compromise the stability of the system.

EIP-7983 also builds on previous efforts such as EIP-7825, which sought to improve predictability in transaction execution. Together, these initiatives aim to build a more robust, efficient, and future-proof Ethereum.

Vitalik calls for reviving the spirit of Ethereum: decentralization and open source

In addition to proposing technical improvements, Vitalik Buterin is also advocating for a more simplified network, similar to Bitcoin's. Recently, Buterin spoke at the Ethereum Community Conference in Cannes, France, launching a profound critique of the current state of the crypto ecosystem. In his remarks, he questioned the superficial use of the term "decentralization," noting that many projects use it as a slogan without offering real guarantees of privacy, censorship resistance, or user autonomy.

Along these lines, Buterin proposes that protocols be evaluated with concrete tests to determine, for example, whether the user can maintain their assets without depending on the company that created them, whether the interface minimizes the risks of manipulation or human error, or whether the system can withstand internal attacks without compromising its integrity.

In this context, Vitalik has also defended the use of licenses Copyleft, which require developers to share their improvements to open source code. This approach seeks to preserve the original collaborative spirit of Ethereum and Web3 in the face of an increasingly closed and competitive industry. 

According to Buterin, the Copyleft It can be an effective tool to ensure that innovation benefits the entire community, not just a few actors with private interests.

“Permissive licenses are freely shared with everyone. Copyleft licenses are freely shared only with those who are also willing to share freely.”, summarized Buterin.