V4.2.1

Welcome to Prysm Release v4.2.1! This release is highly recommended for stakers and node operators, possibly being the final update before V5.

⚠️ This release will cause failures on Goerli, Sepolia and Holeski testnets, when running on certain older CPUs without AVX support (eg Celeron) after the Deneb fork. This is not an issue for mainnet

New

• Linter: Wastedassign linter enabled to improve code quality (#13507).
• API Enhancements:
  • Added payload return in Wei for /eth/v3/validator/blocks (#13497).
  • Added Holesky Deneb Epoch for better epoch management (#13506).
• Testing Enhancements:
  • Clear cache in tests of core helpers to ensure test reliability (#13509).
  • Added Debug State Transition Method for improved debugging (#13495).
  • Backfilling test: Enabled backfill in E2E tests for more comprehensive coverage (#13524).
• API Updates: Re-enabled jwt on keymanager API for enhanced security (#13492).
• Logging Improvements: Enhanced block by root log for better traceability (#13472).
• Validator Client Improvements:
  • Added Spans to Core Validator Methods for enhanced monitoring (#13467).
  • Improved readability in validator client code for better maintenance (various commits).

Fixed

• Bug Fixes:
  • Fixed off by one error for improved accuracy (#13529).
  • Resolved small typo in error messages for clarity (#13525).
  • Addressed minor issue in blsToExecChange validator for better validation (#13498).
  • Corrected blobsidecar json tag for commitment inclusion proof (#13475).
  • Fixed ssz post-requests content type check (#13482).
  • Resolved issue with port logging in bootnode (#13457).
• Test Fixes: Re-enabled Slasher E2E Test for more comprehensive testing (#13420).

Changed

• Optimizations and Refinements:
  • Lowered resource usage in certain processes for efficiency (#13516).
  • Moved blob rpc validation closer to peer read for optimized processing (#13511).
  • Cleaned up validate beacon block code for clarity and efficiency (#13517).
  • Updated Sepolia Deneb fork epoch for alignment with network changes (#13491).
  • Changed blob latency metrics to milliseconds for more precise measurement (#13481).
  • Altered getLegacyDatabaseLocation message for better clarity (#13471).
  • Improved wait for activation method for enhanced performance (#13448).
  • Capitalized Aggregated Unaggregated Attestations Log for consistency (#13473).
  • Modified HistoricalRoots usage for accuracy (#13477).
  • Adjusted checking of attribute emptiness for efficiency (#13465).
• Database Management:
  • Moved --db-backup-output-dir as a deprecated flag for database management simplification (#13450).
  • Added the Ability to Defragment the Beacon State for improved database performance (#13444).
• Dependency Update: Bumped quic-go version from 0.39.3 to 0.39.4 for up-to-date dependencies (#13445).

Deleted

• Removals:
  • Removed debug setting highest slot log to clean up the logging process (#13488).
  • Deleted invalid blob at block processing for data integrity (#13456).