The Ethereum’s Cancun-Deneb Upgrade and How It Impacts NFTs

The forthcoming deployment of the Cancun-Deneb (Dencun) upgrade on Ethereum, scheduled for March 13, 2024, signifies the commencement of the Surge era, aimed at significantly enhancing the Ethereum network’s scalability. Developed by NFTScan, this article discusses the Ethereum Cancun-deneb upgrade and its potential impact on NFTs.
What Is the Ethereum Cancun-Deneb (Dencun) Update?
The Ethereum Cancun-Deneb (Dencun) Update is a highly anticipated hard fork upgrade set to be deployed on the Ethereum network on March 13, 2024.
At the heart of the Dencun upgrade lies the implementation of EIP-4844, which introduces a groundbreaking concept called Blobspace. Blobspace represents a novel approach to handling data within the Ethereum ecosystem, offering a native forking mechanism that enables remarkable improvements in transaction processing speeds.

What Is Blobspace?

The idea of Blobspace originated from the innovative Danksharding concept proposed by Ethereum researcher Dankrad Feist. Building upon this idea, developer protolambda developed a prototype system known as Proto-Danksharding, which eventually evolved into the official upgrade proposal, EIP-4844.
One of the key features of Blobspace is the introduction of a blockchain-based resource marketplace, which opens up new possibilities for efficient and flexible handling of transaction data. Rather than simply selling block space, Ethereum will now leverage the sale of “blobs” — temporary data blocks that can efficiently handle transaction information.


Once the EIP-4844 upgrade is implemented, Blobspace is expected to significantly reduce gas costs and vastly improve the throughput capacity of the Ethereum mainnet. It is important to note that while the Dencun upgrade is a transitional step, it paves the way for the future comprehensive implementation of Danksharding, which promises even greater scalability and efficiency optimizations.

How Will EIP-4844 Impact NFTs?

EIP-4844 presents a significant advancement in Ethereum’s capabilities, offering the potential to boost transaction throughput to 100,000 transactions per second (TPS) while concurrently reducing the gas costs associated with Ethereum usage.
Notably, this development has substantial implications for Ethereum Layer 2 scaling solutions, as the primary cost driver for these solutions lies in the required data publishing on the Ethereum mainnet. The prospect of more cost-effective data publishing on Layer 2 solutions brings about considerable benefits in terms of reduced expenses and enhanced cost-efficiency.
The anticipated lower costs are poised to foster the development of innovative applications and facilitate cross-pollination within the NFT application space, creating new opportunities previously impeded by cost constraints. As time progresses, the result is expected to be an outburst of novel NFT advancements, fueled by a more accessible and economically viable ecosystem.
In due course, as L2 integration with the Dencun upgrade materializes, NFT users will be intrigued by the potential gas savings as they explore various applications within the ecosystem. This firsthand experience will provide valuable insights into the tangible benefits that can be achieved.

What’s Next?

The advent of EIP-4844 represents a significant milestone in the evolution of the NFT ecosystem, offering numerous benefits and shaping the prospects of NFTs. With a focus on Layer 2 solutions, such as Zora Network, Base, and Frame, the proposal aims to enhance performance and user experience while reducing the costs associated with NFT transactions.
Historically, NFTs have lacked the scalability, cost-efficiency, and transaction speed required to support widespread adoption. However, the implementation of EIP-4844 introduces the potential for ultra-low-cost and ultra-fast transactions, fueling optimism for the next wave of NFT development.
Moreover, the proposal introduces the concept of off-chain metadata storage, enabling NFT metadata to be hosted externally while the blockchain stores a URI pointing to this information. This approach addresses challenges related to gas fees, limited storage capacity, and flexibility. By standardizing the format and structure of metadata URIs, EIP-4844 promotes interoperability across various NFT projects and platforms. Developers and users benefit from consistently readable and displayable metadata, facilitating seamless interaction with NFTs across different networks and services.
Another significant feature is the support for multiple metadata representations, including JSON, JSON-LD, and IPFS. This flexibility accommodates diverse use cases and aligns NFTs with existing metadata standards and technologies. By leveraging established approaches like JSON-LD and IPFS, the proposal ensures compatibility and integration with broader data systems and infrastructure.
In summary, Ethereum’s Cancun-Deneb upgrade ushers in a transformative era for the NFT ecosystem, enabling enhanced performance, improved user experiences, and broader adoption. The proposal’s emphasis on scalability, cost-efficiency, and standardized metadata storage establishes a foundation for a more inclusive and innovative NFT landscape. NFT enthusiasts, whether creators or collectors, should embrace this pivotal development as NFTs prepare for their next renaissance.
For an in-depth exploration of NFT data, please kindly visit nftscan.com, the largest NFT data infrastructure in the industry. NFTScan stands as the world’s largest NFT data infrastructure, currently supporting the full NFT data for over 22 blockchain networks, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNBChain, Polygon, Solana, Arbitrum, Optimism, Fantom, Avax, Aptos, Linea, zkSync, TON, Scroll, Mantle and many more.
NFTScan’s business covers NFTScan Explorer, NFTScan API, NFTScan Site, NFTScan as a Service, and NFTScan portfolio, delivering professional and comprehensive NFT data services to both Web3 users and developers.


Whether you’re seeking to analyze trends, track market activity, or delve into specific NFT projects, nftscan.com provides an invaluable resource for those seeking a deep understanding of the NFT space.

About NFTScan

NFTScan is the world’s largest NFT data infrastructure, including a professional NFT explorer and NFT developer platform, supporting the complete amount of NFT data for 22 blockchains including Ethereum, Solana, BNBChain, Arbitrum, Optimism, and other major networks, providing NFT API for developers on various blockchains.

Official Links:
NFTScan: https://nftscan.com
Developer: https://developer.nftscan.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nftscan_com
Discord: https://discord.gg/nftscan