Understanding Testnet
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Hello guys, welcome back to this space, I hope y'all are keeping well. It's a beautiful morning here, by the way welcome to this new week of opportunities, do well to make the best out of it. So today I've got something interesting to share with you once again...hope you got value from my last post, I want to believe your response is a yes...smiles.
Today we would be looking at the topic Testnet, it's quite an interesting topic and of course the reason for sharing this is just to enlighten us and help us have a better understanding of how this terrain works. Kindly sit back and enjoy every bit of what I've got to share.
Dealing with a Blockchain network is such a sensitive thing especially in this space where a whole lot is at stake when things go wrong. The security aspect of the blockchain is the first priority for every developer because they know if by any means it gets compromised, there would be grave consequences.
Of course you know where the attack would always come from...from malicious players as usual, those we refer to as hackers. They can go any length to spot and exploit any vulnerability or bug they find within a Blockchain network. Hence the reason for the creation of Testnet which we would consider extensively and how it functions. Let's get into it guys.
I would like to define the term Testnet by first explaining how we arrived at its name. I think is logical enough that one can easily decode. It's made up of two word, we have the Test and the net which is a short form for the word network. So bringing both together gives us the word Testnet.
This simply means a blockchain network that is specially designed to carry out testing activities before deploying on the mainnet which is the real Blockchain network. So here it is, a real Blockchain network design a testnet, an alternative blockchain for it various testing activities such as system upgrades and integrations.
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They do all of these in this alternative Blockchain which of course is synonymous to the real chain and see if it turns out well. If it turns out well, the upgrade or integration would be implemented on the mainnet but if it doesn't, it wouldn't be deployed afterwards.
This then make testnet a safe haven for mainnet Blockchain because they do not have to sacrifice the security Blockchain while trying to introduce a new feature. This has always being the challenge, some had tried introducing something into the mainnet which exposed the mainnet to hacker that eventually exploited it, making them lose greatly in seconds.
The primary purpose of a testnet can be summarized in two folds. The first being to test changes on a network protocol. Changes are not done suddenly on the mainnet, it might spell doom. If at all there is need for an adjustment or addition of new feature, it would first be tried on the Testnet to see how it would turn out...just come to think about it, what it it turns out negative and doesn't go as planned, that might put the whole network at risk.
The second reason could be for integration which of course are carried out by developers, external developers might want to see how possible it is to integrate a protocol into their DApp. They also wouldn't want to make the mistake of just going all out with it when there is an opportunity, a free one at that to test it at no cost. Once it turns out well, they would go ahead and if not...they would just have to figure out something else.
Don't forget I said Testnet are synonymous to the real chain; the mainnet, so it has it coin. It has to function like the real net so that the tests can be authentic and valid conclusion can be drawn from the various testing activities. But then the coin ain't worth anything.
Infact getting the coin is pretty much easy and that because it doesn't really worth anything. The coin can only function in the Testnet. It has been configured in such a way that it can't be sent or used on the mainnet, no matter how hard one tries to cheat the system.
The network are of two separate world and would not cooperate.
A testnet address is completely different from that of the mainnet, infact the parameters used in generating them are just different from the real ones. For example, Bitcoin testnet address uses 0x00 making it very easy to identify because this address parameter is different from the one in the mainnet.
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The Genesis block for both the testnet and the mainnet is also different, it's design that way so that there wont be any serious correlation between the Testnet and the mainnet when it comes to block formation and transaction history which hackers could easily exploit for their selfish gain.
I believe by now we know what Testnets are and their positive impact in the Blockchain space. I think it's also important to mention that after a successful test and there is a need to deploy changes on the mainnet, nodes would need to vote if it should be done or not since we are dealing with a decentralized system here. This aspect is key.
I trust you've gotten so much from this piece. As my usual custom is, I would always encourage that you DYOR to be sure of every financial step you would want to take as I won't be liable for any form of loss encountered by you.
Feel free to share with me your thoughts in the comment section. Thanks for your time once again. Gracias!
Disclaimer: This post is made as an education and not investment advice. Digital asset prices are subject to change. All forms of crypto investment have a high risk. I am not a financial advisor, before jumping to any conclusions in this matter please do your own research and consult a financial advisor.
Regards
@lhorgic♥️
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