Introduction
Everscale has just turned three years old, and it might already be considered mature technology, as that’s a fairly long time in crypto space terms.
A whole ecosystem emerged in the past years around the protocol. Indeed, with the power of Threaded Virtual Machine, you are able to create truly decentralized applications by writing smart contracts on Threaded Solidity. One case study has recently been published by Broxus: they managed to build a foundation for the famous Gwent card game on Everscale smart contracts in just 30 minutes.
There have been numerous improvements in the network’s architecture, as well: a node rewrite from scratch in Rust, and much more. Still, there are many things to do; the implementation of the SMFT consensus and Reliable External Messaging Protocol (REMP) is going at full pace as the core team is carrying out network strength tests and pushing the boundaries in the testing environment.
But the stakes are high in the blockchain space and mistakes can call into question the right to existence of any blockchain. For this reason, to avoid any potential errors and ensuing vulnerabilities, all code and changes go through testnets before being applied to a mainnet. In this article, we'd like to cover Everscale test networks and their purposes and indicate how developers can test their smart contracts and dApps, try the SMFT consensus, or run a validator node on Everscale.
Evercloud dashboard: A starting point for Everscale developers
There are numerous tools available for blockchain developers eager to start working on Everscale, and Evercloud is one such solution. It is a powerful tool for building on TVM networks, offering scalable endpoints that streamline the development and deployment process. Evercloud supports Everscale testnets as well as other TVM networks, including TON and Venom. Using Evercloud, you can save time, reduce errors, and focus on creating innovative decentralized applications. More information can be found in the Evercloud documentation.
How to access testnets on Everscale
To start using a testnet on Everscale, you will need to register on the Evercloud platform and create a project. The next stage is to configure the project settings, in particular, writing down testnet endpoints and setting up analytics and security. The latter is not mandatory, but this option helps you secure your endpoint by creating a secret. Remember that if you enable security, a secret will need to be specified in the header of your queries. You can query data and send messages to testnets using the GraphQL API.
Each endpoint comes with a playground where you can send queries and messages to a testnet from the web interface. For instance, here is what the FLD testnet playground looks like:
FLD testnet: Created for flooding
FLD is the first Everscale testnet. It is used for destructive experiments with the blockchain, such as deploying malicious smart contracts or malicious nodes, and all experiments related to causing damage or halting the network.v
Currently, the REMP protocol is being actively tested on the FLD network. The latest version of REMP is running on it, and all experiments with smart contracts and REMP are being conducted there. The FLD network isn't a full copy of the Everscale mainnet and is adjusted for testing REMP. After REMP passes all the tests, a multi-workchain network with a new elector will be deployed to proceed next.
Initially, the FLD network was created to test Everscale validators, validation scripts, and DePools. Everything related to validation was tested and implemented on FLD first, as it was a necessary step at that point.
The FLD network is permissionless, meaning anyone is welcome to try out the REMP protocol and see its performance, as well as try to run an Everscale validator. To get started, you'll need to refer to the following FLD testnet configs. Please refer to the developers section on our Discord to receive testnet tokens or if you have any questions.
There are several public endpoints for the FLD testnet:
RFLD testnet for Everscale nodes on Rust
The RFLD testnet was initially created for transition to a Rust node, as the first Everscale node was written in the C++ language. As part of its specifications and capabilities, the RFLD testnet has an amount of shards that is as close as possible to that of the Everscale mainnet.
All node updates are tested on the RFLD testnet before their release on the mainnet – basically, it's a pre-release network. As soon as nodes are ready on RFLD, a new branch is merged with the Github repository and all validators on the mainnet start updating the nodes.
SMFT testnet: Working with Everscale’s innovative network consensus
The SMFT testnet was launched for testing the SMFT consensus, and over the past months the SMFT has been periodically actively tested and re-launched. This testnet works based on the SMFT consensus mechanism – there is a SMFT Solidity elector which is built specially for this. At the moment, the SMFT works smoothly on the testnet and the next stages are to transition to multiple workchains and update the SMFT elector.
If you’re interested in testing capabilities of both the RFLD and SMFT testnets, please ask for assistance in our Discord in the developers section.
How to receive EVER on an Everscale testnet
For developers or community members who are interested in exploring decentralized applications on an Everscale testnet but are unsure about where to get testnet cryptocurrency, the solution is simple: the EverdevGiver Telegram bot.
To use the bot, simply send the command /start in a direct message to the bot and follow the instructions provided.
- Use /start to initiate the conversation with the bot.
- Use /give
to request testnet coins. - Receive your EVER testnet coins and begin exploring the Everscale testnet!
Summary
The testnet hardware and DevOps, essential components for a seamless development experience, are generously provided by ITGold, one of the initial members of Everscale.
As a cutting-edge, permissionless fifth-generation blockchain, Everscale welcomes developers to explore its features, interact with dApps, deploy smart contracts, and evaluate the capacity and performance of the TVM-blockchain.
For more guidance, please refer to our technical documentation. Additionally, feel free to join the Everscale developers Telegram chat and Discord communities if you have any questions and would like to dive deeper into the ecosystem.
