So What Is StageNet?
StageNet
Stagenet is a pre-production testing ground for new features, and for bringing new chains online to THORChain. It is permissioned, and maintained solely by Nine Realms. As a result, the team will be able to coordinate new releases for testing much faster, since they will not require nodes to update their version of the THORChain protocol. Although Stagenet uses real L1 funds, pool prices are not arbed, and so, the UI display on THORSwap will not reflect the real assets true value. The idea is that the team can launch new features quickly, and the community can immediately bang on the release and try to break it, speeding up the process of bug discovery and reiteration.
Stagenet is in essence just like Chaosnet, but run by Nine Realms exclusively, and funded very sparsely. It exists just for testing with live funds. Liquidity is not expected to deepen, as there are no incentives to deposit to the pools other than testing. As such, the success of testing some scenarios (such as swaps etc.) may not be to the extent achieved live on ChaosNet due to disincentives such as severe slip.
MockNet
Additionally there is a version of THORChain called “MockNet,” which is only used by node operators and devs for testing on their local infrastructure. Generally this is just used for troubleshooting when spinning up a new node and troubleshooting issues with local hardware limitations etc. Funds used are mock funds as the name implies, and users can mint unlimited tokens for testing on a number of blockchains.
MockNet is similar to TestNet in functionality, except that it does not interact with any other nodes publicly. All tests are private and run locally by each operator.
TestNet
Alas, the once frequently used “Testnet’’ has been temporarily abandoned due to the lack of support for the Binance Chain Testnet. With the Binance Chain unable to sync, the entire Testnet infrastructure malfunctions. It is anticipated that a new version will be created which will exclude Binance at some point later this year.
[Update: Testnet is back online, Binance Chain fixed their testnet seeds]
ChaosNet
Finally, there is MCCN, or “ChaosNet.” ChaosNet is the live version of THORChain you all know of, and is essentially just a restricted version of MainNet. The main difference being the “soft cap” in place for liquidity, which is controlled by an admin Mimir control. This restriction on capital inflow is a protective measure in place during the active development and growth phase of ChaosNet. The soft cap will be removed in Mainnet, and the incentive pendulum will begin to function as intended. A recent progressive development on the road to MainNet saw admin Mimir keys handed over to node operators for functions such as the throttling of large outbound transactions. These changes will still be executed using Mimir functions, but they will be decided by a ⅔ majority consensus of validator nodes.
MainNet
MainNet will be achieved when the ChaosNet network is considered mature and stable. (See our 2022 Milestones blog for specific requirements to achieve MainNet).
Once MainNet is live, a number of changes will take effect. The liquidity caps will be removed, and the network will function within the parameters of the hard-coded “Hard Cap” for liquidity in the THORChain protocol. This “Hard Cap” requires that pooled $RUNE never exceed total $RUNE bonded by nodes. This is how the THORChain protocol maintains its most secure state.
Also, the core development team and seed capital reserves will begin their release schedule. Additionally protocol reserve emissions will receive an output boost.
At this stage, the network will solely depend on the ⅔ majority consensus of validator node operators for all changes at the protocol level.
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