The Tezos blockchain has successfully activated its 20th protocol upgrade, Tallinn, following completion of its on-chain governance process.
Tallinn upgrade, developed by Nomadic Labs, Trilitech, and Functori, marks the 20th evolution of the Tezos protocol since the network’s launch in 2018.
Faster Finality and Layer-2 Alignment
The Tallinn upgrade cuts Tezos’ Layer-1 block time to six seconds, reducing transaction delays and speeding up finality on the base network.
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According to the announcement, finality transactions now reach finality in two blocks, or approximately 12 seconds.
The change also aligns Tezos more closely with Etherlink, its EVM-compatible Layer-2 network, which confirms transactions in under 50 milliseconds while relying on the Layer-1 chain for final settlement.
By shortening block times, Tezos is aiming to make decentralized applications more responsive and reinforce its role as a high-throughput, censorship-resistant settlement layer.
Validator Participation and Storage Efficiency Gains
The Tallinn upgrade also overhauls Tezos’ validation process, allowing all network validators to attest to every block instead of restricting that role to a limited group.
The change is made possible through BLS cryptographic signatures, which combine hundreds of validator signatures into a single one per block. The upgrade is intended to strengthen security, ease the load on network nodes, and make staking rewards more predictable.
In addition, the protocol introduces an “Address Indexing Registry” aimed at sharply reducing storage demands for applications built with Tezos’ Michelson smart contract language.
By eliminating redundant address data, the new system can improve storage efficiency by up to 100 times, according to the release, potentially lowering costs and allowing applications to process more data at scale.
Tezos is an open-source, energy-efficient blockchain built to support institutions, developers, and businesses. The protocol has a track record of implementing protocol upgrades without network disruptions through its on-chain governance model.
Why This Matters
The Tallinn upgrade positions Tezos for faster, more secure, and cost-efficient operations, cutting block times, boosting validator participation, and reducing storage costs for developers.
Tallinn is the 20th protocol upgrade of the Tezos blockchain, improving block times, validator participation, and application storage efficiency.
It reduces Layer-1 block time to six seconds, achieving finality in approximately 12 seconds, making decentralized applications more responsive.
By allowing all validators to attest to every block using BLS aggregated signatures, strengthening network security and making staking rewards more predictable.
A feature introduced in Tallinn that reduces redundant address data in smart contracts, improving storage efficiency by up to 100x.
The upgrade lowers storage costs, improves transaction speed, and enhances network scalability, supporting high-throughput applications, NFT platforms, and enterprise use.
