Introducing HOPR Testnet & HOPR Gaming Sessions
Every technological advancement starts with a single test run. The Wright Brothers’ first powered flights propelled them just a few hundred metres, but they were a proof of concept for an invention which would change the world.
Today, it’s with great pleasure that we announce the HOPR testnet, our very own first test flight by the HOPR Association to start the journey towards a more private internet. With our testnet, we want to make sure everything is working as intended, while bracing for the impact of the inevitable surprises.
Since testing isn’t always the most fun, we’ve decided to make a game of it. Every week, we will be hosting Gaming Sessions, were we will play games to test the HOPR network. You’ll learn how HOPR works, get to help shape its development, and win DAI as prizes. Winners may stay anonymous!
Understanding the HOPR Testnet
A testnet is nothing more than an experimental version of a network that allows developers and users to test the technology without any consequences. It is intended to be used and abused to find problems and areas for improvement. No real money is involved (the first version of the HOPR testnet doesn’t even involve tokens at all) and not every feature will be implemented. The finished product will almost certainly end up being radically different in some ways to what it is today.
With the HOPR testnet, we want to explore the limits of our decentralized technology (powered by Libp2p) and test what we’ve built so far. Since we’re the ones who designed the network, it can be hard for us to imagine all the different ways people will use it, as well as all the ways things might go wrong. Even though we’re still at a very early stage of development (we only just announced our strategic investment round last week!), we already want to hand control of the cockpit to you, to help us build the best and most private network we can. It’s also a great way for you to learn about HOPR from the ground up, interacting directly with the development team.
As troubles are expected to arise when using a testnet, this first iteration is focused on stability and fundamentals: we want to check that we can send and relay data between network nodes quickly and efficiently without everything breaking. We’re not using tokens yet (not even test tokens) and none of the packet mixing or other privacy protections are implemented yet (follow our Telegram and Twitter for updates). We’ll use these early tests to obtain feedback from you to come up with sturdier models later on.
Getting Started
You can jump in right now and set up a HOPR node using HOPR Chat, our proof of concept (POC) application. Head to our documentation site and follow the quickstart guide to download and run the HOPR Chat application. Anyone can use HOPR Chat, on Windows, macOS and Linux distributions. Using HOPR Chat, you can quickly connect to the HOPR network and send anonymous messages to friends and strangers.
For more skilled flyers, we suggest exploring our Advanced Setup, which more thoroughly explores the options available to tweak HOPR Chat. Some of our technical work and academic research can be found under our Main Concepts section. Please bear in mind that some of these ideas are still a work in progress, and will change and expand rapidly over the coming weeks. First time flying can be turbulent, but we’re always available in our Telegram Chat for any questions pilots of all levels might have.
Game Sessions
As no flight would be enjoyable without a reward at the end of it, HOPR Association is starting the first of many Game Session this Thursday, July 16th at 4pm CEST. We will be announcing all the details over our Telegram. In short, we’re running weekly sessions where we help community members test our technology and play fun games over our network. Things will start simple, but we’ll be trying more ambitious games as the weeks advance. This will help us stress-test the network and learn more about its limits as well as its advantages while learning about the functionalities of the network.
Over the course of an hour, the HOPR team will host a live stream to help anyone interested in setting up the HOPR Chat application. The first half-hour will be dedicated to setup and troubleshooting, where we will answer any questions you might have about installing, downloading, and running a HOPR Chat node on your computer.
After ensuring everyone has everything they need, the rest of the hour will be dedicated to a game played using the HOPR Chat client. To avoid spoiling the flight experience, the full details will be shared during the live stream, but we’ll be giving away prizes in DAI to the winners. In case you have any questions, check our Telegram. Who shall soar above the other pilots?
Final words
We couldn’t be happier about having you as part of this new chapter in the history of HOPR. We’re at the beginning of our journey, and we don’t yet know how far we can fly or what that final plane will look like. There will certainly be errors to fix, problems to troubleshoot, and changes to make. But this is all part of the design process. Together, we can make HOPR the best it can be and provide the foundations for a more private world.
Jose Aguinaga
Head of Engineering @ HOPR Services AG
About HOPR
Based in Switzerland, HOPR Association is building a privacy-preserving, messaging protocol, and a decentralised network with economic incentives. With our initial release on top of the Ethereum Blockchain, the HOPR Association is shaping a new generation of open-source protocols focused on Layer-0 solutions using battle-tested technologies. Leveraging in the innovative library, libp2p, the HOPR Association is pushing the limits of private peer-to-peer solutions. We’re proud to be the recipient of Binance Labs’ first investment of the year.
