A new version, v1.5.13, has been released for the BSC Testnet in preparation for the upcoming Maxwell hard fork.
This significant upgrade is scheduled to activate on the Testnet on May 26, 2025, at 07:05:00 AM UTC. All BSC Testnet node operators must upgrade to v1.5.13 before this date, typically by simply replacing the existing binary.
The Maxwell hard fork introduces several key changes, primarily focused on significantly speeding up block production.
The most notable change is the reduction of the block interval from 1.5 seconds to just 0.75 seconds (BEP-524). To maintain overall throughput, the GasLimit per block will also be decreased from 70M to 35M.
Other important proposals included are BEP-563, adding support for an Enhanced Validator Network, and BEP-564, introducing new block fetching messages.
Additionally, the epoch length will increase from 500 to 1000 blocks. The release also incorporates upstream code syncs (including Pectra related fixes from Geth v1.5.9) and several non-critical bug fixes and improvements.
Ensure your BSC Testnet nodes are upgraded to v1.5.13 before the hard fork activation time.
## Description (Testnet Maxwell hard fork) v1.5.13 is for BSC Testnet [Maxwell hard fork](https://forum.bnbchain.org/t/bnb-chain-upgrades-testnet/934#p-1416-h-3-maxwell-wip-4), which is expected to be enabled at: `2025-05-26 07:05:00 AM UTC`, all BSC Testnet nodes need to be upgraded to v1.5.13 before the hard fork time. For this upgrade, simply binary replacement should be enough. Maxwell includes 3 BEPs, mainly to reduce block interval from 1.5 seconds to 0.75 seconds: - [BEP-524: shorter block interval phase two: 0.75 seconds](https://github.com/bnb-chain/BEPs/blob/master/BEPs/BEP-524.md) - [ BEP-563: add Enhanced Validator Network proposal](https://github.com/bnb-chain/BEPs/blob/master/BEPs/BEP-563.md) - [BEP-564: add New Block Fetching Messages proposal](https://github.com/bnb-chain/BEPs/blob/master/BEPs/BEP-564.md) Besides the 0.75 seconds block interval update, there are several other key parameters will be updated: - Epoch: will increase from 500 to 1000 - GasLimit: will decrease from 70M to 35M, so the overall throughput will stay unchanged - Other Parameters: pls refer [BEP-524: Parameter Changes](https://github.com/bnb-chain/BEPs/blob/master/BEPs/BEP-524.md#41-parameter-changes) Beside hard fork changes, there are several other items: - [upstream code sync]((https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3049)) mainly for Pectra related bugfix and improvements - several non-critical bug-fix and improvements For details, pls refer the change log. ## ChangeLog ### FEATURE [\#3019](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3019) BEP-524: Short Block Interval Phase Two: 0.75 seconds [\#3044](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3044) params: double FullImmutabilityThreshold for BEP-520 & BEP-524 [\#3045](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3045) Feature: StakeHub Contract Interface Implementation [\#3040](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3040) bsc: add new block fetching mechanism [\#3043](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3043) p2p: support new msg broadcast features [\#3070](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3070) chore: renaming for evn and some optmization [\#3073](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3073) evn: add support for node id removal [\#3072](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3072) config: support more evn configuration in tool [\#3075](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3075) config: apply two default miner option [\#3083](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3083) evn: improve node ID management with better error handling [\#3084](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3084) metrics: add more monitor metrics for EVN [\#3087](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3087) bsc2: fix block sidecar fetching issue [\#3090](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3090) chore: update maxwell contrats addresses [\#3091](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3091) chore: fix several occasional issues for EVN [\#3049](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3049) upstream: pick bugfix and feature from latest geth v1.5.9 [\#3096](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3096) config: update BSC Testnet hardfork time: Maxwell ### BUGFIX [\#3050](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3050) miner: fix memory leak caused by no discard env [\#3061](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3061) p2p: fix bscExt checking logic [\#3085](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/0000) miner: fix goroutine leak ### IMPROVEMENT [\#3034](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3034) miner: optimize clear up logic for envs [\#3039](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3039) Revert "miner: limit block size to eth protocol msg size (#2696)" [\#3041](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3041) feat: add json-rpc-api.md [\#3057](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3057) eth/protocols/bsc: adjust vote reception limit [\#3067](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3067) ethclient/gethclient: add deduplication and max keys limit to GetProof [\#3063](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3063) rpc: add method name length limit and configurable message size limit [\#3077](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3077) performance: track large tx execution cost [\#3074](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3074) jsutils: add tool GetLargeTxs [\#3082](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3082) metrics: optimize mev metrics [\#3081](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3081) miner: reset recommit timer on new block [\#3062](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3062) refactor: use slices.Contains to simplify code [\#3088](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3088) core/vote: change waiting blocks for voting since start mining [\#3089](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc/pull/3089) core/systemcontracts: remove lorentz/rialto ## Assets | Assets | Sha256 Checksum | | :-----------: |------------| | mainnet.zip | ce8507bfff1ed585777d248794a4a8f5142b8f2414600a369410b370da261744 | | testnet.zip | 46d9134554cede135581c8a069a9fff77de2721e6ab5caec9e6704b031e8788b | | geth_linux | 992162709b7f7cc29817aae275716da9ecc285ba860acc28ae515c39b7dc6ac2 | | geth_mac | 8a88a6112b78ad810b816dc4d4189e5b1844b20c96483182c0aced142c7e64d1 | | geth_windows | 321e594c1b9ba585ceb27a079486abc6c8672682f39727b3ce76ae6020732d14 | | geth_linux_arm64 | 6d44623c279f53bb66d45465c495dc1fa8ca6cf5baf4e99db40202a7532858c3 |