XRPL 3.3.0 launches, 5 amendments retired and made permanent

Five amendments retired and integrated

The new release makes permanent the Clawback, fixDisallowIncomingV1, fixInnerObjTemplate, fixNFTokenReserve, and fixUniversalNumber amendments. With their retirement, these functionalities become full and unchangeable parts of the XRP Ledger protocol.

Mayukha Vadari, a software engineer at RippleX, provided insights into the process, explaining that the retirement of an amendment differs from removing a feature. Instead, this involves deleting the pre-amendment code left in the codebase after an amendment has been active for some time.

Removing pre-amendment code is a necessary part of maintaining the codebase and does not affect user experience or existing XRPL functionality.

Vadari stated that, for example, the Clawback amendment has been active since February 2024 and was only retired after a considerable period to ensure no disruption for users or developers.

Why XRP Ledger amendments are retired

The amendment retirement process is not immediate. Vadari noted that the development team typically waits about two years before removing old, pre-amendment code, in case it is needed for debugging past transactions or resolving historic technical issues.

The goal is to keep the codebase clean while preserving enough data for troubleshooting. This approach minimizes risks for network participants while supporting ongoing development.

Mini dictionary: RippleX, the software and developer platform division of Ripple, focuses on advancing the XRP Ledger ecosystem and supporting developers building applications on XRPL.

How amendments are introduced and passed

The XRP Ledger uses an amendment system to manage and implement protocol changes. Amendments are introduced as new features or updates to how transactions are processed. Each proposed amendment must pass the network’s consensus process, requiring validators to review and vote on changes.

If any amendment gains at least 80% validator support for a period of two weeks, it becomes an integral part of the XRPL protocol from that point forward. These measures ensure that updates have broad support and that the network remains stable and secure.

Undoing an amendment that has already passed is only possible through the proposal and acceptance of a new amendment, which must also undergo the full approval process. This ensures continuity and the integrity of transaction processing across the XRP Ledger.

Fully functional protocol updates on XRPL must pass consensus, and once integrated, disabling them requires a separate amendment and approval from the validator network.