Astar Network Prepares for Major Shiden Upgrade: Will Prices Follow?

Astar Network is preparing to upgrade Shiden after completing Async Backing. But will SDN price rally after a terrifying 80% drop?

Crypto upgrades are inevitable. Not only do they show that developers are at work, but they are also indicators of use. Without dApps and users, no one will request user interface improvements or features.

Today, November 6, Astar Network, a smart contracts platform on Polkadot, plans to upgrade its “test hub,” Shiden.

The Async Backing upgrade for Shiden Network is now complete! Here’s what you need to know:

Developers take note
Block time has shifted from 12s to 6s—adjust your logic for the 6-second block time intervals.

Shiden node operators: Make sure you're using at least the… pic.twitter.com/bE7T9pVai2

— Astar Network (@AstarNetwork) November 4, 2024

Astar Network Prepares To Upgrade Shiden

In preparation for this key update, the team purchased Agile Coretime to transition from the Parachain auction slot model to the more efficient Agile Coretime system.

For newcomers, Astar and Shiden complement each other. They both support smart contracts on Polkadot and Kusama.

On Shiden, which is a parachain on Kusama, you can test dApps before shipping them on Astar, a parachain on Polkadot, where there is no room for errors.

With Agile Coretime on Kusama, parachains like Shiden, secured by the Relay Chain, must purchase resources or “coretime” on demand or in bulk.

Without core time, Shiden won’t produce blocks and process transactions–effectively halting dApps on the platform.

While there could be questions on why parachains must purchase computing power, the new model is actually advantageous.

Unlike Parachain slot auctions on Kusama and Polkadot, Astar Network and Shiden won’t have to lock up or “bond” large amounts of KSM or DOT.

Depending on competition and market conditions, projects wishing to launch as a Parachain had to commit a substantial amount of coins.

Instead of auctions, Parachains can buy computing resources on a need-basis without tying up huge capital upfront.

Async Backing Done: Shiden Migration Completes

Ahead of this upgrade, Shiden completed Async Backing.

This update significantly enhanced block production by reducing block times by half to six seconds.

Accordingly, Shiden is now more scalable and can process many more transactions. All the same, node operators have to update to the latest version, v5.44