Tezos shortens block times in the Tallinn upgrade – All validators can now attest

Tezos, the Layer-1 blockchain network with proof-of-stake consensus, has activated its latest protocol upgrade called Tallinn. The key innovation: All network validators, known as “Bakers” in the Tezos ecosystem, can now attest to every block – instead of just a portion of them as before. This change marks the 20th protocol update and aims for a fundamental improvement in blockchain efficiency.

Faster Confirmations Through Universal Attestations

The core of the upgrade is enabling each validator to attest to a block. This is technically achieved through BLS cryptographic signatures, which bundle multiple individual signatures into a single signature per block. The practical result: node load decreases significantly, and block times on the base layer are reduced to six seconds. This breakthrough allows the network to achieve faster finalization times and significantly accelerate transaction confirmation.

According to Cointelegraph, these improvements not only lead to higher speed but also lay the groundwork for further optimizations. The reduction in block times and more efficient attestation by all validators open new avenues for even greater performance enhancements in future upgrades.

Storage Efficiency Improved by a Factor of 100

Another focus of the Tallinn upgrade is optimizing storage usage. The new address indexing mechanism eliminates redundant address data from the blockchain. As a result, storage requirements for applications running on Tezos are reduced by a factor of 100 – an improvement highlighted by Tezos representatives.

This combination of faster block times and drastically reduced storage costs makes it possible for decentralized applications (dApps) to operate more efficiently. Less storage load means lower operating costs for node operators and a more robust, scalable network.

Context: Why Blockchains Need to Become Faster

The first generation of blockchains – Bitcoin and Ethereum – set a historical benchmark. Bitcoin processes about seven transactions per second (TPS), but produces new blocks every ten minutes. Ethereum achieves 15–30 TPS, which is insufficient for everyday payments and commercial transactions on the base layer.

This limitation led to the development of Layer-2 (L2) solutions. Bitcoin uses the Lightning Network for off-chain transactions, where only the net balance is recorded on the base layer after channel closure. Ethereum follows a modular approach with various L2 networks that separate execution, consensus, and data availability.

Monolithic blockchains like Solana take a different route: they integrate all functions into a single layer and forego L2 scaling solutions. With the Tallinn upgrade, Tezos positions itself as a monolithic alternative, becoming faster and more efficient through smart optimizations – universal attestations from all validators and drastic storage efficiency improvements.

The upgrade underscores the ongoing development toward more practical blockchain networks that can process more transactions per second while reducing settlement times.