BlockSec Launches Phalcon Fork for Collaborative Testing on Ethereum Mainnet
Rebeca Moen Apr 16, 2023 11:06
Blockchain security firm BlockSec has launched Phalcon Fork, a toolkit that enables collaborative testing on private chains forked from arbitrary transaction positions and block numbers on the Ethereum mainnet. The toolkit offers greater control over testing, analysis, and debugging on testnets, with features such as snapshots and a faucet for acquiring free fork network Ether. The Phalcon Fork user manual touts advantages over traditional solutions such as Goerli, including retaining services and states from the mainnet and maintaining full control over block information.
Blockchain security tech firm BlockSec has released a new toolkit for collaborative testing on private chains, called Phalcon Fork. This developer and security researcher-focused toolkit allows users to fork arbitrary transaction positions and block numbers on the Ethereum mainnet, providing greater control over testing, analysis, and debugging on testnets.
Phalcon Fork offers several advantages over traditional solutions such as Goerli. According to the Phalcon Fork user manual, users can retain services and states from the Ethereum mainnet, facilitating rapid integration and debugging with other DeFi contracts. Additionally, users have full control over block information, including Timestamp, BaseFee, and MixDigest.
One of the key features of Phalcon Fork is the ability to utilize snapshots, which allow users to save specific blockchain positions and revert back to them during testing processes. The snapshots record the transactions being executed and deployed by the user at a given time. This feature is particularly useful when a user wants to run multiple tests of a script or save certain states and return to them later.
Phalcon Fork also includes an integrated faucet, which allows users to acquire free fork network Ether (ETH) to conduct transactions on private chains. To directly interact with the chains and execute transactions, Phalcon Fork provides a remote procedure call node called Fork RPC. This can be integrated with Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible development frameworks such as Hardhat, Foundry, Remix, or added to MetaMask.
Currently, users can only fork from the Ethereum mainnet; however, BlockSec has teased future support for additional blockchains, such as the BNB Smart Chain and Arbitrum.
April has been an exciting month for Ethereum developers, as the highly anticipated Shapella hard fork went live on the Ethereum mainnet without any issues on April 12. This upgrade allows Ethereum validators to withdraw staked ETH from the Beacon Chain. This has led to positive price action for Ether (ETH), with the asset gaining roughly 12% since April 12, trading at $2,092 at the time of writing.
Phalcon Fork is a significant addition to the Ethereum developer toolkit, offering greater control and flexibility over testing, analysis, and debugging on private chains. As the blockchain industry continues to evolve and expand, tools like Phalcon Fork will become increasingly important for developers looking to build on top of existing networks.
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