L1 Strawmap — Ethereum Draft Roadmap

Introducing strawmap, a strawman L1 roadmap by EF Protocol.

The future is bright. Believe in something. Believe in a strawmap.

FAQ

Who is this for?

The document, available at strawmap.org, is intended for advanced readers. It is a dense and technical resource primarily for researchers, developers, and participants in Ethereum governance. Visit ethereum.org/roadmap for more introductory material. Accessible explainers unpacking the strawmap will follow soon™.

What is the strawmap?

The strawmap is an invitation to view L1 protocol upgrades through a holistic lens. By placing proposals on a single visual it provides a unified perspective on ambitious for Ethereum L1. The time horizon spans years, extending beyond the immediate focus of All Core Devs (ACD) and forkcast.org which typically cover only the next couple of forks.

What are some of the highlights?

The strawmap features five simple north stars, presented as black boxes on the right:

fast L1: transaction inclusion and chain finality in seconds
gigagas L1: 1 gigagas/sec (10K TPS) at L1, via zkEVMs and real-time proving
teragas L2: 1 gigabyte/sec (10M TPS) at L2, via data availability sampling
post quantum L1: centuries-long cryptographic security, via hash-based schemes
private L1: privacy as a first-class citizen, via L1 shielded transfers

What is the origin story?

The strawman roadmap originated as a discussion starter at an EF workshop in Jan 2026, with the aim of helping integrate lean Ethereum with shorter-term initiatives. Upgrade dependencies and fork constraints became particularly effective at surfacing valuable discussion topics. The strawman is now shared publicly in a spirit of proactive transparency and accelerationism.

Why the "strawmap" name?

“Strawmap” is a portmanteau of “strawman” and “roadmap”. The strawman qualifier is deliberate for two reasons:

It acknowledges the limits of drafting a roadmap in a highly decentralized ecosystem. An “official” roadmap reflecting all Ethereum stakeholders is effectively impossible. Rough consensus is fundamentally an emergent, continuous, and inherent uncertain process.
It underscores the document’s status as a work-in-progress. Although it originated within the EF Protocol cluster, there are competing views held among its 100 members, not to mention a rich diversity of non-EFer views.

The strawmap is not a prediction. It is an accelerationist coordination tool, sketching one reasonably coherent path among millions of possible outcomes.

What is the strawmap time frame?

The strawmap focuses on forks extending through the end of the decade. It outlines seven forks by 2029 based on a rough cadence of one fork every six months. While grounded in current expectations, these timelines should be treated with healthy skepticism. The current draft assumes human-first development, and AI-accelerated R&D could significantly compress schedules.

What do the letters on top represent?

The strawmap is organized as a timeline, with forks progressing from left to right. Consensus layer forks follow a star-based naming scheme with incrementing first letters: Altair, Bellatrix, Capella, Deneb, Electra, Fulu, etc. Upcoming forks such as Glamsterdam and Hegotá have finalized names. Other forks, like I* and J*, have placeholder names (with I* pronounced "I star").

What do the colors and arrows represent?

Upgrades are grouped into three color-coded horizontal layers: consensus (CL), data (DL), execution (EL)—C, D, E. Dark boxes denote headliners (see below), grey boxes indicate offchain upgrades, and black boxes represent north stars. An explanatory legend appears at the bottom.

Within each layer, upgrades are further organized by theme and sub-theme. Arrows signal hard technical dependencies or natural upgrade progressions. Underlined text in boxes links to relevant EIPs and write-ups.

What are headliners?

Headliners are particularly prominent and ambitious upgrades. To maintain a fast fork cadence, the modern ACD process limits itself to one consensus and one execution headliner per fork. For example, in Glamsterdam, these are ePBS and BALs, respectively.

(L* is an exceptional fork, displaying two headliners tied to the bigger lean consensus fork. Lean consensus landing in L* would be a fateful coincidence.)

Will the strawmap evolve?

Yes, the strawmap is a living and malleable document. It will evolve alongside community feedback, R&D advancements, and governance. Expect at least quarterly updates, with the latest revision date noted on the document.

Can I share feedback?

Yes, feedback is actively encouraged. The strawmap is maintained by the EF Architecture team: Justin, Thomas, Toni, Vitalik. General inquiries can be sent to strawmap@ethereum.org.

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