I just realized that many people in the community still confuse between mainnet and testnet. Today, I will explain clearly about these two concepts and why they are important.

What is mainnet? Simply put, mainnet is the actual blockchain where transactions with real economic value take place. This is where you send and receive cryptocurrencies, NFTs, or any other digital assets. When you perform a transaction on mainnet, it will be permanently stored on the public blockchain and cannot be changed. Bitcoin and Ethereum are typical examples of mainnets that have been operating stably for many years.

Why is mainnet important? A project with a mainnet will be much more reliable than projects that only exist on paper. When a project launches a mainnet, it proves that the developers have enough confidence in their technology. Moreover, mainnet is public evidence that the project is actively operating and can be verified by anyone. Transactions on mainnet are validated by network participants, and to ensure security, each transaction requires a transaction fee paid in the blockchain’s native currency.

But before a project can launch a mainnet, it must go through the testnet phase. Testnet is a trial blockchain network that operates exactly like mainnet but the coins here have no real value. This is where developers can build, modify, and test new features without risking real money. If errors occur on the testnet, they will not affect anyone on the main network.

Why is testnet necessary? Imagine if a project launches directly on mainnet without thorough testing. Any bugs could cause significant damage to the system and users’ wallets. Testnet helps developers identify and fix these issues before going live. Additionally, testing costs on testnet are much lower because transactions here do not require real money.

There are many different mainnet chains besides Ethereum and Bitcoin, such as Polygon, Aurora, Celo, Theta, or Fusion. Each of these chains has its own testnet for developers to test decentralized applications and smart contracts before official deployment.

In summary, mainnet is where everything happens with real money, while testnet is for testing and learning. Understanding this difference will help you assess the reliability of a blockchain project. If a project does not have a mainnet yet or is only in the testnet stage, you should be more cautious when deciding to participate. I usually check a project’s mainnet status on Gate before paying attention to it.