The Ethereum network

The Ethereum network is a peer-to-peer network where nodes participate in order to maintain the blockchain and contribute to the consensus mechanism. Networks can be divided into three types, based on requirements and usage.

MainNet

MainNet is the current live network of ethereum. The current version of MainNet is homestead.

TestNet

TestNet is also called Ropsten and is the test network for the Ethereum blockchain. This blockchain is used to test smart contracts and DApps before being deployed to the production live blockchain. Moreover, being a test network, it allows experimentation and research.

Private net(s)

As the name suggests, this is the private network that can be created by generating a new genesis block. This is usually ...

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