The Nakamoto upgrade has begun rolling out, learn more!




Halving on the Horizon:
Technical Milestones & Release Strategy Updates for Nakamoto & sBTC
by Mitchell Cuevas on December 8, 2023
This post covers the latest intel from the frontlines of Working Groups and provide the latest look at milestones and timelines for the Nakamoto and sBTC release. It will be updated regularly.
TL;DR: Nakamoto is on track to begin rollout before Bitcoin halving which is currently projected around April 30th.

See this overview of the Nakamoto release strategy
Looking toward halving
Recently Completed
Q4 2023
Q4 2023
✅ Nakamoto v.2
Controlled Testnet aka Neon
Nakamoto’s ‘Controlled Testnet’ has arrived! The private testing leverages Bitcoin Regtest and features a single miner, single Stacker, and Stacker signing. Learn more in this Twitter thread.

Highlights of the work:

Q1 2024
Q1 2024
⌨ Nakamoto v.3
Pre-Launch Testnet
Q1 will be highlighted by a public testnet with multiple Stackers, multiple Miners, and the Stacker Network's FROST DKG integrated. This will be an ideal time for builders to dive deep and start preparing to upgrade their applications by leveraging the testnet.

Areas of focus:
  • Nakamoto performance gains with existing Clarity WASM
  • All Nakamoto rules in place
  • POX-4, Throughput gains, Lower Latency, Existing Clarity WASM
  • Clarity WASM to feature complete with full Clarinet support
  • Clarity WASM Performance benchmarking, improvements, & fuzzing
  • Controlled testnet upgraded with performance gains
  • Testing and audits on code complete components
Bitcoin Halving
Bitcoin Halving
⭐ Nakamoto
Hard fork 1 opens Instantiation Window: April 15-29, 2024
Hard fork 2 opens Activation: August 28
Nakamojo! Assuming the community votes in the Nakamoto upgrade and miners adopt, Nakamoto will begin rolling out between April 15 and 29. You can find more detail about the rollout strategy here.
Approx. 2-3 months following
Approx. 2-3 months following
⭐ sBTC
Once Nakamoto reaches Step 1 (Instantiation) in April, many Core Developers will turn their focus to sBTC and produce a more detailed rollout plan to share. Network stability, bug fixes, and overall security will be prioritized in determining the exact time to release sBTC.