L1 Strawmap — Ethereum Draft Roadmap

Welcome to strawmap.org, an Ethereum L1 roadmap initiative by EF Protocol.

FAQ

What is the strawmap?

The strawmap is a roadmap by the Ethereum Foundation that invites a holistic view of L1 protocol upgrades. It began as a discussion starter at an EF workshop in Jan 2026, aimed at integrating lean Ethereum with shorter-term initiatives. Its time horizon spans multiple years, well beyond the All Core Devs (ACD) focus, which typically covers only the next two forks.

Where does the name "strawmap" come from?

"Strawmap" is a portmanteau of "strawman" and "roadmap". The strawman qualifier matters for two reasons:

It acknowledges the fundamental limits of drafting a roadmap in a highly decentralized ecosystem. An "official" roadmap reflecting all Ethereum stakeholders is effectively impossible. Rough consensus is an emergent, continuous process.

It underscores the document's work-in-progress nature. Although it originated in the EF Protocol cluster, the ~100 members hold diverse and often differing views.

The strawmap is not attempting to predict the future. It is an accelerationist coordination tool that sketches one reasonably coherent path among millions of possible futures.

What is the target audience?

The strawmap is a dense, technical document aimed primarily at researchers, developers, and other participants in Ethereum governance. Boxes with underlined text link to relevant EIPs and write-ups.

Digestible explainers will follow once the document incorporates community feedback and stabilizes. More casual readers may be interested in the five north stars, the black boxes on the right:

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

What do the letters on top mean?

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. Some upcoming strawmap forks such as Glamsterdam and Hegotá already have names. Other fork names like I* and J* are placeholders, with I* pronounced "I star".

What do the various colors mean?

Upgrades are grouped into three layers: consensus (CL), data (DL), execution (EL)—C, D, E. Each layer appears horizontally in a distinct color. 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 boxes are further organized by theme and row. Arrows signal either hard technical dependencies or natural fork progressions.

What are headliners?

In the modern ACD process each fork typically has one consensus and one execution headliner. For example, in Glamsterdam, those are ePBS and BALs respectively. The L* fork is an exception, shown with two headliners tied to the lean consensus fork. L* tentatively aligning with lean consensus is, perhaps, a fateful coincidence.

What is the strawmap time frame?

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

Will the strawmap evolve?

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

Can I share feedback?

Absolutely, feedback is encouraged. The strawmap is maintained by the EF Architecture team: Ansgar, Barnabé, Francesco, Justin. Each has open DMs on X and can be reached at [first name]@ethereum.org. You can also contact the team at strawmap@ethereum.org.

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