Mainnet vs. Testnet: How Users Benefit From These Networks?

When you're checking out new blockchain projects, you may come across phrases like "mainnet" and "testnet." For blockchain beginners, these phrases may be perceived as some mysterious technology, but in reality, they're relatively straightforward. Once you understand how testnets and mainnets work, getting involved in new cryptocurrencies, blockchain networks, and decentralized applications is easy. Keep reading to learn all about the differences between testnets and mainnets.

What Is a Testnet?

Many people think of a blockchain as a single, united system representing the entire network. However, the reality is that a blockchain can have multiple chains that operate independently of each other. One of the most common types of alternative chains is a testnet. As you can probably tell from the name, a testnet is meant to test certain concepts. 

You can think of a testnet as similar to the beta version of a game. Companies use testnets when designing a brand new blockchain or experimenting with an upgrade to a current blockchain. The testnet is a testing and development environment for the main project and usually doesn't run at full capacity depending on the purpose of the project. It allows developers to test and run experiments with their applications without risking their real assets. All tokens used on a testnet have no real-world value, and decisions made on the testnet will not affect the main blockchain. That also means the transactions made on the testnet are not recorded on the real blockchain.