Skip to content
This repository has been archived by the owner on Aug 2, 2022. It is now read-only.

Testnet: Public

Jump to bottom
Sandwich edited this page Jan 3, 2018 · 33 revisions

Overview

The Public Testnet exists to support developers and testers who are already working with their own standalone (private) testnet and who want to test their code on a public net, but without the issues and restrictions of working on a public production net ("mainnet").

The Public Testnet allows developers to work with free test tokens, provided during signup. Access the signup page here.

Differences between Testnet and Mainnet

There are several differences between the Public Testnet and the public Mainnet. As of this writing, they include:

  • Existence. The public mainnet doesn't exist yet, and the public testnet does.
  • Genesis block. The mainnet genesis block is different from the testnet genesis block. The Testnet genesis block includes a faucet account and several "initx" accounts (inita - initu) used by the core development team during testing. At least some of these initx accounts are also present in the provided genesis block of standalone private testnets.
  • Resets. The Testnet is subject to resets as needed to support testing.
  • Versions. The Testnet can actually include multiple testnets with different addresses and different reset cycles, depending on the needs and desires of the development community.
  • Hosting. The Testnet is currently configured such that block-producing nodes will only be run on hosts set up and operated by the core developers. The Mainnet's block producing nodes will run on hosts selected by a vote of the token holders.

Nodes

The Testnet consists of block-producing nodes and non-producing nodes.

Public Testnet Endpoints

The following is the list of currently available Public Testnets:

  • Testnet1
    • HTTP Endpoint: testnet1.eos.io
    • P2P Endpoint: p2p-testnet1.eos.io:9876
    • Web Wallet Endpoint: t1wallet.eos.io, t1api.eos.io, t1readonly.eos.io

You can test the connection using curl

$ curl testnet1.eos.io/v1/chain/get_info

Connecting Local EOSD node with Public Testnet

To run a local node connected to the public testnet operated by block.one, a script is provided.

cd ~/eos/build/scripts
./start_npnode.sh

This command will use the data folder provided for the instance called testnet_np.

You should see the following response:

Launched eosd.
See testnet_np/stderr.txt for eosd output.
Synching requires at least 8 minutes, depending on network conditions.

To confirm eosd operation and synchronization:

tail -F testnet_np/stderr.txt

To exit tail, use Ctrl-C. During synchronization, you will see log messages similar to:

3439731ms            chain_plugin.cpp:272          accept_block         ] Syncing Blockchain --- Got block: #200000 time: 2017-12-09T07:56:32 producer: initu
3454532ms            chain_plugin.cpp:272          accept_block         ] Syncing Blockchain --- Got block: #210000 time: 2017-12-09T13:29:52 producer: initc

Synchronization is complete when you see log messages similar to:

42467ms            net_plugin.cpp:1245           start_sync           ] Catching up with chain, our last req is 351734, theirs is 351962 peer ip-10-160-11-116:9876
42792ms            chain_controller.cpp:208      _push_block          ] initt #351947 @2017-12-12T22:59:44  | 0 trx, 0 pending, exectime_ms=0
42793ms            chain_controller.cpp:208      _push_block          ] inito #351948 @2017-12-12T22:59:46  | 0 trx, 0 pending, exectime_ms=0
42793ms            chain_controller.cpp:208      _push_block          ] initd #351949 @2017-12-12T22:59:48  | 0 trx, 0 pending, exectime_ms=0

This eosd instance listens on 127.0.0.1:8888 for http requests, on all interfaces at port 9877 for p2p requests, and includes the wallet plugins.

Connecting Local EOSC with Public Testnet

You can connect your local eosc with public testnet by using the http endpoint as the hostname and port 80:

$ eosc -H ${http_endpoint} -p 80 ${options} ${subcommand}

Furthermore, public testnet does not provide any wallet functionality. In order to be able to sign transaction/ push transaction/ wallet operation, you will need to connect your local wallet with eosc when you are connecting to public testnet. To do so, ensure that you have your local wallet running.

$ eos-walletd
# this will create a data-dir folder inside your current working directory, this data-dir folder will contain your private keys encrypted with the wallet password

Then specify your local wallet endpoint and port when using eosc, unless you override it, wallet_endpoint will be localhost and wallet_port will be 8888.

$ eosc -H ${http_endpoint} -p 80 ${options} --wallet-host ${wallet_endpoint} --wallet-port ${wallet_port} ${subcommand}

Accounts on Testnet

Before you begin first you'll need your account name and EOS public key handy.

  • Discover your account name
    • Find your account name(s) assigned in genesis by entering the ETH address or EOS Public Key you believe is included in the snapshot into the Account Name Lookup tool
    • If your address is not included in the snapshot, apply for a faucet account
  • Get your EOS public key ready
    • If you're in the snapshot, your EOS Public Key is the key you registered with the EOSCrowdsale contract
    • If you applied for an account through the faucet, your EOS public key is the key you submitted in the faucet account application

Once you have your account name, you can choose how you would like to interact with EOS.

Web Wallet (End Users)

  • Visit the Testnet Web Wallet
  • Create an account
  • Login
  • Click on 'Accounts' in the sidebar
  • In the Account input enter the account you acquired in the previous steps.
  • In the EOS Active Key and Owner Key fields enter your EOS public key(s)
  • Click "Add Account"

Command Line (Developers)

  1. You'll need the eos-walletd and eosc binary from recent eosd build, see Local Environment
  2. Connect to Public Testnet
  3. Import your private key to the wallet with eosc
  4. Learn how to use eosc by either figuring it out yourself with the command reference or with a comprehensive tutorial.

General Resources

Telegram Channels

Clone this wiki locally