In a move toward a more diversified ethereum execution client ecosystem, AllNodes, a staking provider, has Announced his complete transition from Geth to Besu. With this change, AllNodes has eliminated the use of Geth across its entire 23,895-node network, marking a milestone in ongoing efforts to reduce current centralization around Geth, a majority customer.
AllNodes migrates to Besu
In a post on X, the non-custodial betting provider said the decision is a testament to the growing recognition of the need for a more robust and decentralized ethereum ecosystem. Although Geth is the most widely used execution client for ethereum nodes, analysts are concerned about its dominance and potential security vulnerabilities should it fall victim to a bug.
The transition to Besu aligns with AllNodes' commitment to providing its customers with the most secure and reliable staking infrastructure. Besu, developed by ConsenSys, is a high-performance, secure execution client that offers several advantages over Geth.
This development significantly boosts its decentralization efforts for Rocket Pool, an ethereum staking protocol that uses mini pools. Rocket Pool mini pool operators can take advantage of AllNodes' node hosting and staking services. Even if some of Rocket Pool's mini-pool operators still use Geth, AllNodes' decision to switch to Besu further strengthens ethereum's resilience against potential client-side failures.
The current landscape of ethereum validators still heavily favors Geth. Customer Diversity Data sample that more than 75% of all validators trust this client. However, in light of the current understanding that customer failures can negatively impact network stability, more betting providers are likely to diversify their base with others following AllNodes. If more validators are distributed among Nethermind, Geth, Besu, and other clients, ethereum will become more resistant to potential forks and security issues.
No bailouts for ethereum node operators if Geth fails
An X analyst, Marius, explained that anyone can use any client, even gravitating towards the first and popular ethereum execution client, Geth. However, the analyst insists that there will be no “bailouts” if the network forks.
A buggy Geth will inevitably expose validators to the risk of catastrophic losses, leading to a fork of the network as it controls more than 66% of the nodes required for its purpose. Validators running that client could face fines of up to 32 eth, effectively eliminating their stake.
The ethereum network generally “trims” the participation of validator nodes if their reliability falls below 100%. The longer they are offline, the greater the penalty.
Featured image from Canva, TradingView chart
