StarkNet Regenesis:
Unlike the ETH merge, StarkNet which is a ZK rollup L2 chain plans for regenesis.
What is StarkNet Regenesis
StarkNet Alpha which is live on the mainnet is undergoing regenesis (the final state reset before production) focused mainly on the release of Cairo 1.0 which would seamlessly improve the efficiency of the network for the users, DEVs & the community.
As Solidity is the Programming language specifically for the Ethereum Network & EVMs, So is Cairo for StarkNet and I know you might be wondering how an L2 chain on Ethereum doesn't use the same smart contract as the base chain but the team is working on a solution "warp" which is a solidity to Cairo transpiler.
Cairo being the Smart Contract of StarkNet initially would be pushed to Cairo 1.0 after regenesis and Protocols on Starknet Ecosystem & StarkNet itself will continue with that.
Why the need for Regenesis
The answer is Cairo 1.0 & Sierra.
Sierra (Heart of Cairo) is an intermediary representation layer for long-term stability for Cairo Programs.
What they bring about:
DOS Protection
Censorship Resistance
Gas metering (more intuitive fee market)
How to Prepare for the StarkNet Regenesis
As a User, you only need to update your wallet during the transition phase.
For builders on StarkNet, They simply need to port their contract to Cairo 1.0 following simple guidelines as there would be no restart/need for migration from the Network.
When is Starknet Regenesis Coming?
Q2 2022/Q1 2023.
Stay tuned as my StarkNet Ecosystem Airdrop A-Z is Coming Soon and also would be highlighting some Interesting DeFI Protocols on zkSync and StarkNet too.