BNB Smart Chain has officially deployed its Maximal Hard Fork, which aims to slash block times from 1.5 seconds to 0.75 seconds.
In BNB Chain’s history, the most drastic improvement has been a significant speed boost. Maxwell pushes the boundaries further, turning BNB Chain into a real sub-second blockchain. This follows the Lorentz hard fork in April, which cut block times in half, from three seconds to 1.5 seconds.
As a result, users, developers, and validators can now anticipate significantly better network responsiveness and transaction confirmations that happen almost instantly.
How The Binance Maxwell Upgrade Works
The upgrade is built on three core proposals:
- BEP-524: Doubles transaction throughput by halving block intervals, allowing for a 0.75-second block time. This is expected to lower latency for DeFi protocols and dApps, resulting in faster and more seamless token transfers and GameFi.
- BEP-563: Reduces the possibility of missed votes or synchronization delays by improving peer-to-peer messaging between validators. This guarantees that even when block creation speeds up, the validator network is steady and effective.
- GetBlocksByRangeMsg and RangeBlocksMsg are new message types introduced in BEP-564, which enable nodes to sync multiple blocks in a single operation. This greatly improves network synchronization speeds and dependability.
For users, the Maxwell upgrade translates to a tangible performance boost. Decentralized exchanges (DEXs) on BNB Chain are already reporting record trading volumes as traders and arbitrageurs capitalize on faster settlements and lower latency. The upgrade also benefits developers, who can now build more responsive and interactive dApps, while validators enjoy improved coordination and reduced operational risk.
Notably, the upgrade’s impact is pronounced in high-demand sectors:
- DeFi protocols see faster transaction finality and lower risk of slippage.
- GameFi and NFT platforms can offer real-time user experiences previously unattainable on slower blockchains.
- Validators and node operators benefit from enhanced stability and easier network synchronization, even under heavy load.
The Maxwell hard fork also brings changes to network parameters. The epoch length has doubled to 1,000, and each validator’s turn now covers 16 blocks, still just 12 seconds in the new timing scheme. Fast finality can now be reached in under 2 seconds, a crucial improvement for both user experience and network security.
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