Ethereum Networks
We’ve talked already about the different configurations a blockchain network can have to put it in one of three general categories: Public, Private or Consortium. We wanted to briefly touch on some of the Ethereum networks that exist.
Public Mainnet, Public Testnets
When people think of the Ethereum network, most likely they are thinking about the Public Mainnet Ethereum network. This is the primary blockchain network for Ethereum, contains real-world value, and is dictated by current stable version of the Ethereum client software (more on Ethereum clients next section).
Ethereum also has testnets, these are typically run by a small number of developers for development purposes but open to the public. Each of these testnets has their own base currency they use, like ETH for Mainnet. Ether used on testnets is called “test eth.” Here is the list of Ethereum public testnets as of August 2021:
- Goerli (sometimes spelled Görli) Proof of Authority testnet that was launched primarily to help launch the Beacon chain as part of Ethereum’s transition to Proof of Stake.
- Kovan “A proof-of-authority testnet for those running OpenEthereum clients.” (source)
- Rinkeby A Proof of Authority testnet based on the Go-Ethereum (Geth) client. It can be surprisingly hard to find Rinkeby test ETH for some reason.
- Ropsten A Proof of Work based testnet.
As we’ll discuss later, you can also spin up a private testnet locally using Ganache or other developer tools.