[study] (1h) EIP-1153 transient storage — mechanics, lifetime, gas cost

[ozpool]

Goal

Understand the EVM primitive that makes V4 flash accounting possible.

Time estimate

1h (single focused session)

Study plan (in order)

1. [15 min] EIP-1153 official text (ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-1153)
2. [15 min] Cancun hard-fork release notes — TLOAD/TSTORE opcodes
3. [15 min] Compare gas costs: TSTORE ~100 vs SSTORE 2100–20000
4. [15 min] Hands-on: write a toy contract with tstore/tload, confirm values don't persist across txs

Total: 60 min

After studying, you can

• Describe tload/tstore opcodes
• State the tx-scoped lifetime of transient storage
• Compare gas cost to regular SSTORE
• Explain why flash accounting needs transient storage (not just memory)

Tradeoff prompt for the architectural review

What hazards does transient storage introduce that warm storage doesn't?

References

• EIP-1153
• Cancun specifications