---
title: "Blockchain Mainnet"
url: "https://worldwiki.io/entity/blockchain-mainnet"
type: "concept"
language: "en"
updated: "2026-11-12 05:20:00"
independence_score: "55.14"
independent_mentions: "0"
authority_mentions: "0"
---

# Blockchain Mainnet

A blockchain mainnet is the live, production network of a blockchain where real transactions are processed and permanently recorded.

## Key facts

- **Definition (Ethereum documentation)**: The primary public production blockchain, where actual-value transactions occur on the distributed ledger [2]
- **Value of testnet tokens**: ETH on testnets is meant to have no real value and is usually handed out free by faucets; markets have sometimes formed for scarce testnet ETH [2]
- **Recommended Ethereum testnets**: Sepolia (default for application development); Hoodi (validator and staking tests, open validator set) [2]
- **Bitcoin mainnet genesis block date**: 2009-01-03 (block 0; hash 000000000019d6689c085ae165831e934ff763ae46a2a6c172b3f1b60a8ce26f) [3]
- **Ethereum mainnet launch (genesis block mined)**: 2015-07-30 [4]
- **Ethereum mainnet chain ID**: 1 (EIP-155 chain IDs separate networks to prevent transactions being replayed on another chain) [5]
- **Example of a major mainnet upgrade**: Ethereum's Merge (switch to proof-of-stake) ran on mainnet on 2022-09-15, after testnet merges such as Ropsten [6]
- **Release stage**: Production (after devnet and testnet) [1]
- **Bitcoin testnet4 (BIP 94)**: Genesis block dated 2024-05-03. Replaced testnet3, which suffered difficulty-reset 'block storms' and whose coins had gained trading value. Same rules as mainnet with three exceptions [7]
- **How protocol changes happen**: Through soft forks and hard forks, which NIST IR 8202 covers among blockchain concepts [8]

## Overview

Mainnet is the production stage of a blockchain network, as opposed to testnets used for development and testing. Assets on mainnet carry real economic value, and protocol changes require coordinated upgrades across node operators.

## Related entities

- part of → [Blockchain](https://worldwiki.io/entity/blockchain)
- related to → [Blockchain Mainnet Development](https://worldwiki.io/entity/blockchain-mainnet-development)

## Related questions

- [What is the difference between mainnet and testnet?](https://worldwiki.io/q/what-is-the-difference-between-mainnet-and-testnet) — A mainnet is a blockchain's live production network, where tokens and transactions have real economic value. A testnet is a separate network with the same or similar software, used to test application
- [What does mainnet launch mean in crypto?](https://worldwiki.io/q/what-does-mainnet-launch-mean-in-crypto) — A mainnet launch is when a blockchain project starts its production network. This usually means creating a genesis block, and from that point transactions carry real value. Some projects that first is
- [Are testnet tokens worth real money?](https://worldwiki.io/q/are-testnet-tokens-worth-real-money) — Testnet tokens are meant to have no real value. They are handed out free through faucets so developers can test without financial risk. Ethereum's documentation notes, though, that markets have formed
- [How are blockchain mainnet upgrades done?](https://worldwiki.io/q/how-are-blockchain-mainnet-upgrades-done) — Mainnet upgrades are coordinated. Developers specify the change, activate it on one or more testnets, and then schedule mainnet activation at a set block height or epoch. Node operators have to instal
- [What is Ethereum mainnet chain ID?](https://worldwiki.io/q/what-is-ethereum-mainnet-chain-id) — Ethereum mainnet uses chain ID 1. Chain IDs were introduced by EIP-155, created on 14 October 2016. The proposal builds a chain identifier into transaction signatures, so a transaction signed for one 
- [What is a blockchain mainnet?](https://worldwiki.io/q/what-is-a-blockchain-mainnet) — A blockchain mainnet is the live, production network of a blockchain where real transactions are processed, validated and permanently recorded. Unlike a testnet, mainnet assets have real economic valu

## References

Independent 3/8 · self-published 5

1. [Ethereum networks](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/networks/) — ethereum.org · evidence level C · self · official claim · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/4
2. [Networks](https://ethereum.org/developers/docs/networks/) — ethereum.org · evidence level C · self · official claim · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/172
3. [Genesis block](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Genesis_block) — Bitcoin Wiki · evidence level C · independent · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/178
4. [History of Ethereum: founder, launch and ownership](https://ethereum.org/ethereum-history-founder-and-ownership/) — ethereum.org (Ethereum Foundation) · evidence level C · self · official claim · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/204
5. [EIP-155: Simple replay attack protection](https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-155) — Ethereum Improvement Proposals · evidence level C · self · official claim · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/180
6. [The Merge](https://ethereum.org/roadmap/merge/) — ethereum.org · evidence level C · self · official claim · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/160
7. [BIP 94: Testnet 4](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0094.mediawiki) — Bitcoin Improvement Proposals (bitcoin/bips) · evidence level C · independent · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/205
8. [IR 8202, Blockchain Technology Overview](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/ir/8202/final) — National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) · evidence level A · independent · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/153