Base Azul Upgrade

The Base Azul upgrade activates Osaka features on Base alongside the TEE/ZK proof systems and requires every node operator to migrate to Base-native clients.

Caution

Only base-reth-node (EL) and base-consensus (CL) support Azul. Nodes running op-node, op-geth, op-reth, nethermind, or kona will not survive the upgrade and must be migrated before activation.

The full scope is documented in the Azul specification.

Activation timeline

Network	Date	Timestamp
Mainnet	May 28, 2026 18:00 UTC	1779991200
Sepolia	April 20, 2026 18:00 UTC	1776708000

Caution

The mainnet activation date is still tentative and can shift. Watch @buildonbase for the final word before you cut over.

Required software

Layer	Software	Mainnet	Testnet
Execution (EL)	base-reth-node	v0.9.0+	v0.7.0+
Consensus (CL)	base-consensus	v0.9.0+	v0.7.0+

Note

Both binaries now ship from base/base, which carries the root docker-compose.yml and the .env.mainnet / .env.sepolia templates. Most configuration arrives preset and environment variables override it. See those .env files for the complete option set.

If you build from base/base directly, update your base-consensus configuration to use the new BASE_NODE_* environment variables. base-reth-node continues to honor existing Reth tooling and flags.

Migrating the execution layer

From OP Reth

If you already run OP Reth through the compose setup, updating to the latest release switches you to base-reth-node automatically. Your existing ./reth-data directory is fully compatible — no resync or snapshot restore required.

1. Stop the node:

   docker compose down

2. Pull the latest base/base, which now publishes the operator node:

   git pull origin main

3. Start the node:

   docker compose up

4. Confirm the client version with web3_clientVersion — the response should include base (for example, reth/v1.11.3-.../base/v0.9.0).

From other clients

op-geth and nethermind are no longer supported. You must restart from a clean base-reth-node setup.

1. Stop the node:

   docker compose down

2. Pull the latest base/base, which now publishes the operator node:

   git pull origin main

3. Remove the existing client data directory (for example, ./geth-data or ./nethermind-data).

4. Edit .env.mainnet or .env.sepolia to match your preferences.

5. Bootstrap from a Reth snapshot to skip a full sync.

6. Start the node:

   docker compose up

Migrating the consensus layer

Replace op-node with base-consensus by updating your environment variables.

1. Set USE_BASE_CONSENSUS=true in your .env file.

2. Update .env with the new BASE_NODE_* variables (see the mapping below).

3. Restart:

   docker compose up

4. Verify:

   • Tail consensus logs: docker compose logs -f node
   • Confirm sync status: optimism_syncStatus continues to work

Environment variable mapping

The .env.mainnet and .env.sepolia templates in base/base already populate most variables. If you build from base/base, translate op-node variables with the table below. Nearly all of them are optional. base-consensus node --help prints the complete set.

op-node	base-consensus
OP_NODE_NETWORK	BASE_NODE_NETWORK
OP_NODE_ROLLUP_CONFIG	BASE_NODE_ROLLUP_CONFIG
—	BASE_NODE_LOG_VERBOSITY
—	BASE_NODE_LOG_FORMAT
OP_NODE_L1_ETH_RPC	BASE_NODE_L1_ETH_RPC
OP_NODE_L1_BEACON	BASE_NODE_L1_BEACON
OP_NODE_L1_TRUST_RPC	BASE_NODE_L1_TRUST_RPC
OP_NODE_L2_ENGINE_RPC	BASE_NODE_L2_ENGINE_RPC
OP_NODE_L2_ENGINE_AUTH	BASE_NODE_L2_ENGINE_AUTH
—	BASE_NODE_L2_ENGINE_AUTH_ENCODED
OP_NODE_P2P_BOOTNODES	BASE_NODE_P2P_BOOTNODES
OP_NODE_P2P_LISTEN_IP	BASE_NODE_P2P_LISTEN_IP
OP_NODE_P2P_LISTEN_TCP_PORT	BASE_NODE_P2P_LISTEN_TCP_PORT
OP_NODE_P2P_LISTEN_UDP_PORT	BASE_NODE_P2P_LISTEN_UDP_PORT
OP_NODE_P2P_ADVERTISE_IP	BASE_NODE_P2P_ADVERTISE_IP
OP_NODE_P2P_ADVERTISE_TCP	BASE_NODE_P2P_ADVERTISE_TCP_PORT
OP_NODE_P2P_ADVERTISE_UDP	BASE_NODE_P2P_ADVERTISE_UDP_PORT
OP_NODE_P2P_PRIV_PATH	BASE_NODE_P2P_PRIV_PATH
OP_NODE_P2P_PEER_SCORING	BASE_NODE_P2P_SCORING
OP_NODE_P2P_PEER_BANNING	BASE_NODE_P2P_BAN_PEERS
OP_NODE_P2P_PEER_BANNING_THRESHOLD	BASE_NODE_P2P_BAN_THRESHOLD
OP_NODE_P2P_PEER_BANNING_DURATION	BASE_NODE_P2P_BAN_DURATION
OP_NODE_METRICS_ENABLED	BASE_NODE_METRICS_ENABLED
OP_NODE_METRICS_ADDR	BASE_NODE_METRICS_ADDR
OP_NODE_METRICS_PORT	BASE_NODE_METRICS_PORT
OP_NODE_RPC_ADDR	BASE_NODE_RPC_ADDR
OP_NODE_RPC_PORT	BASE_NODE_RPC_PORT
OP_NODE_RPC_ENABLE_ADMIN	BASE_NODE_RPC_ENABLE_ADMIN
OP_NODE_RPC_ADMIN_STATE	BASE_NODE_RPC_ADMIN_STATE
OP_NODE_SAFEDB_PATH	BASE_NODE_SAFEDB_PATH
OP_NODE_SYNCMODE	—
OP_NODE_VERIFIER_L1_CONFS	—
OP_NODE_L2_ENGINE_KIND	—
OP_NODE_L1_RPC_KIND	—
OP_NODE_L1_BEACON_FETCH_ALL_SIDECARS	—
OP_NODE_L1_BEACON_FALLBACKS	—
OP_NODE_ROLLUP_LOAD_PROTOCOL_VERSIONS	—
OP_NODE_P2P_STATIC	—
OP_NODE_P2P_DISABLE	—
OP_NODE_P2P_NAT	—

FAQ

• Do I need to resync? No, if you already run OP Reth — existing data is compatible.
• What if I’m on op-geth or nethermind? Switch to base-reth-node and bootstrap from a Reth snapshot.
• Do OP namespace RPCs still work? Yes, all existing RPCs remain supported.