Testnet

A testnet is a separate blockchain network that copies a main network's rules for testing, where the coins have no intended value and are usually handed out free by faucets. ethereum.org explains that developers use public testnets to try protocol upgrades and smart contracts in a production-like setting before deploying to mainnet. When the page was read on 27 October 2026, the two maintained Ethereum testnets were Sepolia, for applications, and Hoodi, for validators and staking. Testnet ETH is supposed to have no real value, though markets have formed for some scarce kinds, and most people get it free from faucets.

Some projects tie rewards to testnets: Blast's about page says its developer airdrop goes live in January when the Blast Testnet launches. The same ethereum.org page advises against reusing mainnet accounts on testnets or the other way round, and since testnet coins are meant to be worthless, a request to pay real money for them is a reason for caution. A burner wallet keeps testnet experiments apart from real funds.