### STEEL
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##### 🐍Specifications and Testing for the Ethereum Execution Layer 📐🧪🐍
<img src="https://github.com/ethsteel/presentations/blob/3f2df68762bef84dcb3cefc0b1911c83a3717211/2025-08-18_ef-town-hall/img/steel_logo.png?raw=true" height=150 alignment="center">
<div style="text-align: center">
<a style="font-size: 0.70em" href="https://github.com/danceratopz/">danceratopz</a><br/>
EF Town Hall, 2025-08-18
</div>
---
### STEEL Acronyms
| | | |
| ----- | ---------------------------------------------------- | ---- |
| STEEL | Specs & Testing for the <br>Ethereum Execution Layer | ⚔️🛡️ |
| EELS | Execution Layer Specs | 📐 |
| EEST | Execution Spec Tests | 🧪 |
---
### EELS and EEST Origins & Growth
<div style="text-align: center">
<img src="https://github.com/ethsteel/presentations/blob/3f2df68762bef84dcb3cefc0b1911c83a3717211/2025-08-18_ef-town-hall/img/timeline_with_histogram.png?raw=true" height="500" alt="STEEL Team Timeline">
</div>
---
### STEEL TEAM Goals
<div class="small-slide">
1. EIP specifications are clear, sufficient and correct.
2. EL clients are adequately tested before hard forks.
<div style="margin-top: 0.5.em;"></div>
**Achieving these goals is a collaborative effort!**
| | |
| -------------------- | ------------------------- |
| Researchers | Spec Definition |
| Client Developers | Production Implementation |
| Security Researchers | Production Testing |
</div>
---
### Core Responsibilities: EELS📐
- Maintaining EL specs as executable Python Code.
- Enabling EIP prototyping.
- Publishing releases of spec snapshots.
- Providing the reference EVM for tests.
---
### Core Responsibilities: EEST🧪
- Python test cases for EIPs / Scale the L1.
- Test vector generation framework.
- Continuous delivery of reference test case releases to clients.
- Module & system test frameworks (Hive simulators) and help debugging fails.
---
### Core Responsibilities: EEST🧪
<img src="https://github.com/ethsteel/presentations/blob/3f2df68762bef84dcb3cefc0b1911c83a3717211/2025-08-18_ef-town-hall/img/eest_releases_timeline_light_hires.png?raw=true" height="460" style="object-fit: contain; max-width: 100%;" alt="EEST Release Timeline">
---
### Current Mainnet Testing
**Fusaka**: Primary testing focus (in-team)
**Glamsterdam**: BALS specs & tests (Toni/Rahul)
**Scale the L1**: Pathological test generation (benchmarking, zkevm)
- Collaboration with Nethermind & EF teams
- New Blockchain Test "EngineX" format
---
### Challenges and Strategy
<div class="small-table">
| | |
| ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| Technical debt: ethereum/tests; separate repos | Fill ethereum/tests in EEST; Merge EELS and EEST:<br/>The Weld🔥⚔️ |
| Estimating & Tracking Spec | Introduce more process; Scale the STEEL |
| Complete Coverage is Hard | Hardening Sessions EIP Checklist, Post Mortems |
| Broad responsibility scope: CL, benchmarking, RPC | Scale the STEEL,<br/>Improved team org |
</div>
---
### Links
<div class="small-slide">
Soon: steel.ethereum.foundation
Docs:
- EELS docs, e.g. [MODEXP changes in Osaka](https://ethereum.github.io/execution-specs/diffs/prague/osaka/vm/precompiled_contracts/modexp.py.html)
- [EEST test case documentation](https://ethereum.github.io/execution-spec-tests/main/tests)
Repos and releases:
- [ethereum/execution-specs](https://github.com/ethereum/execution-specs)
- [ethereum/execution-spec-tests](https://github.com/ethereum/execution-spec-tests)
- [EELS releases on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/ethereum-execution/)
- [EEST releases on Github](https://github.com/ethereum/execution-spec-tests/releases)
</div>
---
Thanks!
---
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