Public testnets for various cryptocurrencies are available to everyone. As these testnets remain connected to the internet, anyone can connect at any time. Users can connect even using popular wallet interfaces like MyEtherWallet or MetaMask.
The following public testnets are available:
Ropsten
Rinkeby
Kovan
Ropsten
The network is named after a famous subway station on Stockholm metro in Sweden, Ropsten, It made its official debut in 2016. Ropsten is supported by both the Geth and the Parity. These are two types of implementation of the Ethereum node software that enable developers to create two different angles of a project they are testing. Ropsten network is quite similar to the mainnet in some ways like:
Users can mine Ether on Ropsten similar to the mainnet network
It uses a consensus mechanism (Proof of Work), and thus, its results closely resemble those of the mainnet.
These characteristics make the simulation of transaction confirmation more realistic than on the other testnets networks. Another advanced characteristic of the Ropsten network is that it enables users to mine or demand Ether through the Ropsten faucet. It is a website developed for the sole purpose of providing free Ether for test projects and testing purposes.
Rinkeby
Rinkeby testnet was launched in April 2017 by the Ethereum team, Rinkeby shares the advantages of Kovan with two following minor alterations:
It does not support Parity and only works with Geth.
it uses a slightly different PoA consensus mechanism.
Rinkeby is also supported by Etherscan Rinkeby. Ether can be requested from an authorized faucet. A private test network is similar to one's blockchain. It is your copy of Ethereum.
When starting up a private blockchain node, a Genesis file needs to be generated from which a tool like Geth builds the new chain. This chain is then inspected and interacted with some tools like Mist, MetaMask, MyEtherWallet, etc.
Private testnets prove efficient for testing and closed environments that require stimulation of mining and transaction confirmation without exposing their network externally and risking spam attacks. There's no cost involved in creating a node, other than a small fraction of the CPU and disk space of the developer's computer being occupied while the testnet is in use. After a private testnet grows enough, it can be released to the public through the internet and other interested parties can connect to it and extend it.
Kovan
Named after an MRT station in Singapore, Kovan network was developed by the Parity team right after when the Ropsten network was attacked and debuted the same in March of 2017. Given that the Parity Team developed the Kovan network, it’s not surprising that it runs on the Parity node. Kovan uses the PoA( Proof of Authority ) as an agreement or consensus mechanism. With such a consensus, only selected nodes are authorized to create new blocks and confirm transactions. Mainnet does not use PoA consensus, thus, developers don't consider Kovan a very accurate simulation. However, it does not mean that it’s not a reliable testing platform. It is stable and immune to most attacks because only authorized parties can control Ether.
Docker-compose File for ethereum Rinkeby testnet server.
version: '3'
services:
geth:
image: ethereum/client-go:stable
restart: always
command: --rinkeby --rpc --rpcaddr 0.0.0.0 --rpcport 8545 --port 30303 --rpcapi admin,db,personal,eth,net,web3 --syncmode fast --cache=2048 --verbosity 4
networks:
- eth
volumes:
- ./data/geth:/root
ports:
- "8545:8545"
- "30303:30303"
- "30303:30303/udp"
networks:
eth:
driver: bridge
driver_opts:
com.docker.network.driver.mtu: 1400