Casper proof-of-stake Ethereum live on the Prysm testnet

The next version of Ethereum, which uses Casper proof-of-stake, is live on the Prysm testnet.

The public release marks another major step towards Ethereum 2.0, which its developers say will bring greater security, scalability, and decentralization to the network.

On May 6, Prysmatic Labs, one of nine independent teams responsible for building Ethereum 2.0 clients, announced that the v0.4 Casper PoS implementation of Ethereum 2.0 is live on the Prysm testnet.

Something to keep in mind is that Ethereum 2.0 will not be implemented via hard fork.

Users will be able to deposit their old ether into a smart contract in exchange for new ether on the 2.0 chain.

The 2.0 version of Ethereum introduces a long-awaited feature, sharding.

Shards are interconnected secondary chains which manage smart contracts and transactions.

These shards are connected to a main chain, known as the "Beacon chain."

The v0.4 test implementation includes a functional beacon chain, with validators, using Casper proof-of-stake.

Overall, the testnet allows developers to experiment with the new version of Ethereum prior to the full release.