# Hive Simulator Cleanup Draft ## Background As part of improving hive's maintainability and establishing clearer ownership, we're proposing to remove simulators that are: - Obsolete (testing deprecated features) - Redundant (covered by other tools/simulators) - Low value (minimal unique coverage) ## Proposed Removals ### 1. `ethereum/sync` - **Remove** **What it does:** Tests client-to-client chain sync (snap-sync and full-sync modes) **Why remove:** - **Snap sync protocol** - Covered by `devp2p/snap` suite (tests protocol message conformance) - **Full sync** - Covered by Syncoor + devnets (at scale, real conditions) - **Cross-client interop** - Covered by devnets The test chain is small/artificial. Real sync bugs surface on devnets with large chains under real network conditions. --- ### 2. `ethereum/consensus` - **Remove** **What it does:** Runs `BlockchainTests` from the `ethereum/tests` repo **Why remove:** - `ethereum/tests` is deprecated in favor of `execution-specs` - EELS `consume-rlp` and `consume-engine` run the modern fixture format - Direct replacement exists: `ethereum/eels/*` simulators --- ### 3. `ethereum/graphql` - **Remove** **What it does:** Tests GraphQL API queries against known outputs **Why remove:** - GraphQL is not consensus-critical - Not all clients implement it - Low value for cross-client testing - Could be client-specific CI if needed --- ### 4. `eth2/testnet` - **Remove** **What it does:** Runs PoW -> PoS transition testnets **Why remove:** - The Merge happened September 2022 - No client needs TTD transition handling anymore - All new clients start post-merge --- ### 5. `eth2/engine` (transition tests only) - **Remove** **What it does:** Tests TTD-based transition scenarios: - `invalid-transition-payload` - `unknown-pow-parent-transition-payload` - `ttd-before-bellatrix` - `equal-timestamp-terminal-transition-block` - `invalid-terminal-block-payload-*` - `build-atop-invalid-terminal-block` - `no-viable-head-due-to-optimistic-sync` **Why remove:** - Same as above - TTD transitions are obsolete **Note:** Keep the non-transition engine tests in `eth2/engine` --- ### 6. `portal/*` - **Remove** **What it does:** Tests Portal Network clients (history, state, beacon networks) **Why remove:** - Portal Network project has been abandoned - No longer actively developed or maintained --- ### 7. `smoke/clique` - **Remove** (lower priority) **What it does:** Tests Clique PoA mining **Why remove:** - Ethereum mainnet uses PoS - Goerli (Clique) is deprecated - Most testnets now use PoS --- ## Simulators to Keep | Simulator | Reason | |-----------|--------| | `devp2p/*` | P2P protocol conformance (discv4, discv5, eth, snap) | | `ethereum/engine` | Engine API testing - needs Fusaka updates | | `ethereum/rpc-compat` | RPC spec conformance - essential | | `ethereum/eels/*` | Modern test fixtures (replaces consensus) | | `eth2/withdrawals` | Capella fork - current | | `eth2/dencun` | Deneb/Cancun fork - current | | `eth2/engine` (non-transition) | Engine API edge cases | | `smoke/network` | Hive infrastructure testing | --- ## Open Questions 1. **Felix (geth):** Any concerns with removing `ethereum/sync` or `ethereum/graphql`? 2. **EL Client Teams:** Any concerns from EL teams that may be using these tests internally? 3. **Ownership:** After cleanup, who maintains what? (To be discussed in follow-up call) --- ## Next Steps - [ ] PR for removals in `hive/``. - [ ] Comments on removal, review and re-address, the proposal is purge heavy. - [ ] Establish ownership structure for remaining simulators in `hive/`. - [ ] Update hive/ `README.md` and docs to address removal, and simulator ownership.