Testnet meaning and usage 📖
In blockchain technology, a testnet is an instance of a blockchain powered by the same or a newer version of the underlying software. It is used to run, test and experiment blockchain projects without risk to real funds or the main chain.
As users are moving to Web3 and decentralized finance it is causing an increase in the exchange of funds in this space. To keep those funds safe, services like security and reliability are becoming important for developers.
That extra layer of safety can be found in the testnet.
What is testnet and how does it work? 🌐
Developers can work with the same clients as they would on the mainnet but testnet gives their project safety on a separate ledger. This eliminates the risk to real funds.
Before deploying the project on the mainnet, developers first check it on testnet to identify if there is any bug or flaw. If they find any bugs they fix them right there.
If developers skip this part and directly deploy on mainnet it could potentially cost them a lot of money.
Instead of using actual money to test the project, developers use ‘fake money’ like ETH faucet and Polygon Faucet. This fake money is worth nothing – its only purpose is for testing projects.
The first public testnet was introduced in the year 2015 by the Ethereum Blockchain and had the network ID ‘0’.
Every blockchain since then has its own testnets. Ethereum has two active ones called Goerli and Sepolia whereas Polygon has zkEVM.
Binance Smart Chain also has its own one known as BSC Testnet.
BSC Testnet provides an environment for Binance Smart Chain for testing its projects. It is run by the Binance Developer Community which is an open forum for developers.
Try out the testnet, help us test its limits, break things, and identify bugs, so we can altogether deliver the first ever zkEVM to the world!
Polygon founder, Sandeep Nailwal, on encouraging developers to use testnet
Testnets like BSC can easily be added to MetaMask or any crypto compliant wallet. All you need to do is claim some faucet money available on places like Polygon Faucet. After that you can easily use it for testing purposes.
Example sentence: We found some bugs on the testnet and fixed them before deadline. Phew, we dodged a major curveball!
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