The Tezos Tallinn upgrade is now live. The implementation has significantly improved the performance of its blockchain. The upgrade was effective with block #11,640,289, reducing block time from 8 seconds to 6 seconds while increasing the level of security for the consensus layer as well as introducing major storage optimizations for developers.
How Tallinn Makes Tezos Faster and More Efficient
The headline improvement is the raw speed: a 25% reduction in block time from 8 to 6 seconds, where transactions are confirmed and become irreversible, 12 seconds (two blocks) after submission, providing users with a better overall experience and a positive effect on the Etherlink (Tezos’ Layer 2 solution).
The second big new feature of the Tallinn upgrade is conditional security enhancements. With the introduction of tz4 addresses [which incorporate Boneh-Lynn-Shacham (BLS) signatures] to bakers (Tezos validators), all bakers will attest to every block once 50% of them have switched to the newer tz4 address format. The result of this change will be increased censorship resistance and more predictable rewards for bakers.
Finally, the Tezos Tallinn upgrade introduced an Address Indexing Registry that can reduce the storage footprint of Michelson-based decentralized applications (dApps), like large NFT ledgers, by up to 100x.
Why This Upgrade Embodies Tezos’s Governance Model
Tallinn is the 20th seamless upgrade executed through Tezos “On-Chain Governance” feature, which sets Tezos apart from other blockchains. The Tezos Tallinn upgrade evidences the ability of the Tezos Protocol to evolve – technically – with no controversy around hard forks; with each upgrade, the protocol continues to improve upon its underlying technology. The goal of the upgrade is in line with the Tezos X Roadmap, aiming for high throughput and finality.
Tezos is systematically improving its Layer 1 (L1) performance with implemented enhancements and future optimizations like the tz4-based attestation system. The Tezos blockchain is thus building a more competitive infrastructure stack measuredly, without sacrificing decentralization or imposing high hardware demands on validators.
