SOL News: Solana Sets Oct. 21 for Alpenglow Upgrade Targeting 150-Millisecond Finality
The upgrade replaces TowerBFT and cuts validator vote charges as merchants and bridges could act sooner on near-instant finality.
- On October 21, Solana will launch the Alpenglow upgrade, aiming to make transactions irreversible in roughly 150 milliseconds by replacing the TowerBFT voting system used since 2020.
- Alpenglow changes how computers agree on payments by allowing validators to exchange votes directly, creating certificates that finalize blocks after one or two voting rounds instead of multiple consensus steps.
- Scheduled for epoch 1064 around 15:00 UTC on October 21, the migration requires operators to use software built on Agave 4.3.0. Voting costs shift from roughly 1 SOL per epoch to 0.8 SOL.
- Operators using alternative programs Firedancer and Frankendancer must switch temporarily because these will not support the initial migration. Solana will continue using the old voting system for the first 5,000 slots before switching.
- While payments can already appear successful, Alpenglow ensures finality by providing a stronger guarantee that transactions cannot be undone, helping merchants and bridges release funds faster for users.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Solana's Biggest Upgrade in Years Draws Closer. Ethereum Fell After Two of Its Last Three Upgrades. Could Solana Avoid the Same Trap?
Ethereum dropped after two of its last three major upgrades, and now Solana faces its own high-stakes moment with the Alpenglow launch just days away. But this time, the setup leading into the upgrade looks surprisingly different.
SOL news: Solana sets Oct. 21 for Alpenglow upgrade targeting 150-millisecond finality
The switch will replace Solana’s existing validator voting system, remove vote transactions from blocks and could sharply change headline transaction counts even if user activity stays flat.
Solana Alpenglow Upgrade Oct 21 Targets 150ms Finality
Solana has scheduled its Alpenglow consensus upgrade for October 21, 2026, targeting a substantial reduction in transaction finality as the blockchain prepares to replace its existing consensus mechanism. Anza, the developer behind Solana's Agave validator client, confirmed the planned mainnet-beta activation on October 13, placing the migration at approximately 14:50 UTC. The Solana Foundation identifies epoch 1064, beginning around 15:00 UTC, …
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