Vitalik proposes gas limit to increase Ethereum security and stability

🚀 What is EIP‑7983?

EIP‑7983—put forward by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and researcher Toni Wahrstätter—introduces a protocol‑level cap of 16.77 million gas (2²⁴) per transaction .

Why this cap?

Prevents any single transaction from consuming an entire block’s gas, mitigating potential DoS (Denial‑of‑Service) attack vectors .

Helps ensure network stability and more predictable transaction costs .

Encourages splitting gas‑heavy transactions, improving compatibility with zero‑knowledge VMs (zkVMs) .

How would it work?

Transactions with a gas limit above 16.77 M would be rejected at block validation.

Importantly, this cap is independent of the overall block gas limit, which miners and validators still adjust under consensus rules .

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Benefits & Impact

1. Security & Resilience
   Thwarts DoS attacks leveraging mega‑transactions and reduces risk of network overload .

1. Stability & Predictability
   Encourages smoother gas usage patterns and fewer unexpected fee spikes .

1. zkVM Compatibility
   By nudging developers to break large transactions into chunks, it supports emerging zkVM infrastructure .

1. Minimal Disruption
   Most DeFi transactions and contract deployments already fall well under this threshold, so the user impact should be small .

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Context: A Simpler, Stronger Ethereum

This proposal aligns with Vitalik’s push to streamline Ethereum’s core protocol, reducing complexity to enhance security, speed, and maintainability—a shift reminiscent of Bitcoin’s minimalism .

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What’s next?

EIP‑7983 is currently under review by the developer community .

If approved, Ethereum clients will enforce the new cap—invalidating any blocks that include oversized transactions.

Further discussions will involve how best to implement this limit without hindering innovation or layer‑2 growth.

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TL;DR

Vitalik and Toni’s EIP‑7983 proposes capping gas per transaction at 16.77 million, which should enhance Ethereum’s security, stability, and scalability—especially as zkVMs become more prevalent—while affecting only the largest, rarest transactions.

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