Cointelegraph is post-obit the development of an entirely new blockchain from inception to mainnet and across through its series, Within the Blockchain Developer's Mind. In previous parts, Andrew Levine of Koinos Group discussed some of the challenges the squad has faced since identifying the key bug they intend to solve and outlined three of the "crises" that are holding dorsum blockchain adoption: upgradeability , scalability , and governance .

Blockchain testnets are an interesting subject because they come in all shapes and sizes. So, in this mail, my goal is to leverage my within feel as the CEO of Koinos Group (developers of Koinos) to demystify testnets and perhaps requite some insight into why they seem to have such an touch on toll.

The well-nigh obvious identify to get-go is with the proper noun: testnet. The purpose of a testnet is to test a netpiece of work. At a very loftier level, there are two "flavors" of testnet. The first is a testnet that is released prior to a mainnet (main network), and the second is a testnet that is released after a mainnet is already in operation. The functions these serve are similar, only the context in which they are released dramatically impacts the perception, and impact, of the release.

I'll commencement with the second kind of testnet considering, in a mode, this is the more straightforward context. When you're talking virtually existing networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum, testnets serve two master functions. The first is that they are a live surround in which developers can exam their decentralized applications. Every expert programmer knows that there's no such thing as perfect code, and then testnets requite developers an environs that is very similar to the "primary chain" (due east.g. Ethereum) in which they can test their code with effectively zilch risk. Things running on a testnet are expected to interruption, and the tokens used are expected to be worthless.

Related: London fork enters testnet on Ethereum as difficulty flop sees filibuster

So, testnets are an environment that enables decentralized application (DApp) developers to increase the value of their applications (i.e., make their apps better) precisely because there is no expectation of full functionality or wealth cosmos. In a sense, the value of a testnet stems from its worthlessness.

DApp developers vs. blockchain developers

But testnets have a two-sided nature, which brings u.s.a. to the second part that testnets serve, and that function is to the do good of, not the DApp developer, just the platform developer (in our example, the blockchain programmer). One thing I have been surprised to see from my unique perspective is how commonly DApp developers are conflated with blockchain developers. Typically, people who write smart contracts are not blockchain developers, and blockchain developers mostly spend very trivial time writing smart contracts.

Ironically, Koinos is throwing a huge wrench in this stardom because its entire arrangement is implemented every bit smart contracts! Since Koinos smart contracts are upgradeable, this means that any feature can exist added to the blockchain without a hard fork, but it also means that the people developing the blockchain (similar members of the Koinos Group) are using and developing the very same toolchain and toolkit that developers will utilise to build their DApps. Simply this is a feature that is totally unique to Koinos, so we can put that bated for the sake of this discussion.

In every other blockchain, the blockchain developers have to develop updates in whatever programming linguistic communication the blockchain is written in (C++, Rust, Haskell, etc.), and they are working on a very large and complicated system called a "monolithic architecture." Within monolithic architectures, irresolute any part of the system tin can impact any other part of the system, and so the risk of making changes is that much higher.

Blockchain developers also need a live surroundings with low stakes that they can utilize to examination out their changes and run into what breaks. Like awarding developers, they want this environment to be every bit close to the existent network equally possible, which means that they want their code to interact with code that application developers will be running as well.

2 sides of testnets

This reveals the two-sided attribute of testnets. They enable both the developers of applications and the developers of platforms to collaborate with i another and safely test their code in equally shut to a live environment as possible, only with very low stakes. This enables both groups to improve their products and make them more valuable to their users.

Now we can start to see why testnets seem to take such an impact on token price. If nosotros presume that price is a function of value, and that testnets help developers increase the value of their products, then price bear on should exist expected. The trouble is that this correlation has led to several undesirable outcomes. Projects will often release a "testnet" that has no utility to developers for the sole purpose of boosting their token price. Unfortunately, many people will see the testnet announcement and simply presume that something valuable has been released, and so the act will have the desired event on the price.

Testnets before mainnet

Up until at present, I've been focusing on the utility of testnets in the context of existing blockchains, which is that they create a prophylactic space for awarding developers to test their applications and for blockchain developers to test upgrades to the underlying platform. This will help yous understand the other important context in which testnets are released, which is prior to the release of the mainnet.

Once again, testing is the primary objective, but the focus is far more on the system itself, every bit it has never before been operational. Of course, since it is new, there won't be whatever applications running on it anyhow. Now the situation is more i-sided. The majority of the people working with the codebase will be blockchain developers, and the goal is to get the platform to a identify where developers want to actually build on it.

The first requirement developers volition have is that the platform is proven to be sufficiently safe, and that should be the prime directive backside the specific tests that are run. Bold developers are convinced that the platform is sufficiently condom, then they'll need to be educated on how to utilize the platform. In other words, the testnet must be thought of every bit an educational tool that enables developers to gain a deeper agreement of how they will be able to use the platform while they are also helping to test the security of the network.

Finally, as they are testing the network and learning how to use it, they will inevitably observe places where the platform could be improved — important libraries might be needed, or important documentation might be needed to help them understand the organization. This information is invaluable feedback that the platform developers absolutely have to use to brand the platform amend before mainnet implementations are finalized.

Reckoner networks have become a major part of our lives whether we realize information technology or not, and they are only increasing in importance. Testnets are a critical step in the process of releasing new and innovative reckoner networks that can add e'er-increasing value to our lives. Hopefully, past gaining a deeper understanding of the nuances of testnets and the important contexts in which they are released, you are now improve equipped to evaluate specific testnet releases and whether they are being designed and launched for the right reasons.

This commodity does non contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a determination.

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed hither are the author'due south alone and do non necessarily reflect or stand for the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Andrew Levine is the CEO of Koinos Group, where he and the onetime development team behind the Steem blockchain build blockchain-based solutions that empower people to accept buying and command over their digital selves. Their foundational product is Koinos, a loftier-performance blockchain congenital on an entirely new framework architected to give developers the features they demand in gild to deliver the user experiences necessary to spread blockchain adoption to the masses.

Koinos Group is to release version 2 of their testnet, which features stability improvements, their mana fee-less transactions system and a contract evolution toolkit that will allow developers to build and run smart contracts on Koinos.