Conflux has scheduled a mandatory network upgrade: version 3.1.0 will hard-fork the chain on Aug. 25, and node operators must install the new client before epoch 155140000 to remain compatible. What’s happening and why it matters - Deadline: Conflux set epoch 155140000 (expected on Aug. 25) as the activation cutoff. Because block production can speed up or slow down, Conflux uses the epoch number as the official cutoff rather than a wall-clock time. - Why you must act: Nodes that do not run v3.1.0 by the target epoch will become incompatible with the upgraded chain — they may be unable to download new blocks, process transactions, or continue mining/validating. Upgrade logistics for node operators - If you update before the target epoch: install v3.1.0 and restart your node. Conflux recommends finishing the update within two days after you begin. - If you wait until after the epoch: you must remove existing blockchain data, install v3.1.0, and re-download the chain — a more painful recovery. - Settings-file change: v3.1.0 requires replacing a key configuration file with the new copy included in the release. The client applies stricter checks, and using the old file will prevent the node from starting. Operators who customized storage locations or logging can migrate those settings into the new file. - Entry points: Conflux published an updated list of network entry nodes used when peers first connect. - Optional storage-saving mode: there’s an opt-in setting that reduces disk use; the initial restart will be slower while the node rebuilds a current state (account balances and related data), but subsequent restarts should be faster. - New real-time meter: the release adds a live metric so operators can monitor transactions processed by their nodes. Seven CIPs included Conflux will activate seven Conflux Improvement Proposals (CIPs) with v3.1.0: CIP-166, CIP-167, CIP-172, CIP-173, CIP-174, CIP-175 and CIP-176. Highlights: Interoperability with Ethereum tooling (three CIPs) - CIP-166: adds a new operation to count leading empty digits in a value — mainly developer-facing but keeps Conflux aligned with a recent Ethereum standard. - CIP-167: adds direct support for verifying a signature type commonly used by passkeys and modern online identity systems (the same signature family used by WebAuthn). This should make it easier for developers to build wallets and apps that accept passkey-style authentication on popular devices and browsers. Conflux clarifies this is a technical compatibility improvement, not a change to trading, tax, or regulatory rules for U.S. CFX holders. - CIP-174: limits the size of inputs sent to a computation-intensive network feature and raises the fee for such calls, mirroring Ethereum changes designed to stop oversized requests from consuming excessive resources. Bug fixes and protocol hardening (four CIPs) - CIP-172: standardizes transaction format so each transaction has one canonical identifier; without this, a single transaction could be assigned multiple IDs. Nodes running v3.1.0 will start rejecting incorrectly formatted transactions immediately after they install the client (before the full fork). - CIP-173: fixes issues in dispute handling for proof-of-stake validators (including extending existing locks on staked CFX to validators that have started full withdrawals). Conflux expects CIP-173 to activate at PoS block 3,749,400 (around Aug. 26). - CIP-175: corrects permission recognition problems in certain cross-environment calls between Core Space (Conflux’s original environment) and eSpace (its Ethereum-compatible environment). - CIP-176: fixes how the client prepares stored data when an account appears multiple times in a transaction access list — now all relevant entries will be processed, not only the last. Other fixes and improvements - PoS improvements: better handling of pending transactions and new block proposals. - Stability: multiple crash fixes (caused by damaged peer messages, malformed requests, or odd on-chain data), a fix for a shutdown crash, and cleanup of outdated software components. - Tools and limits: two new eSpace tools, improved controls for rate-limiting heavy requests, corrections to transaction record errors, removal of one older connection method while keeping web and live connections intact. Security disclosure policy - v3.1.0 contains a private security fix. Conflux will not publish technical details of that fix until after operators have had time to upgrade; the team says early disclosure could enable attackers to target nodes that haven’t yet patched. - Conflux also warned operators not to run unofficial builds from the project’s in-progress codebase — such copies can diverge from the official mainnet release and cause consensus problems. Context and past reactions - Conflux has previously coordinated private security disclosures. In March 2025 the team patched a flaw around contract placement at addresses after a private report from security firm GraFun; GraFun received 60,000 CFX as a bounty (50,000 for the find, 10,000 for rapid reporting). - Major Conflux upgrades have drawn market attention in the past: Conflux 3.0’s announcement in July 2025 correlated with roughly a 70% rally in CFX (from $0.1450 to $0.2416) and spikes in trading and derivatives activity. v3.1.0 contains no price guidance — the announcement focuses on technical steps operators must take. Action checklist for operators (summary) - Install Conflux v3.1.0 before epoch 155140000 (expected Aug. 25). - Replace the specified settings file with the one in the release; migrate any custom storage/logging paths. - Consider enabling the storage-reduction option if disk space is a concern (expect a longer initial restart). - Do not run unofficial builds from the project’s development branches. - If you miss the epoch, be prepared to wipe chain data and re-sync. For node operators and DevOps teams this is an essential, time-sensitive upgrade. If you run a Conflux node, plan the update now to avoid the more disruptive recovery steps required after the activation epoch. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news