Glossary

Mainnet

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Mainnet is the term for the real Bitcoin blockchain and network, and is used in contrast with testnet, signet, and regtest networks. Unlike the other networks, which are used for testing purposes, mainnet coins (BTC) have monetary value. When people refer to the Bitcoin network, they are usually referring to mainnet.

Each network has its own blockchain, and its own token. Additionally, addresses have different prefixes for each network. Mainnet addresses begin with ‘1’, ‘3’, or ‘bc1’, while testnet addresses begin with ‘2’, ‘m’, ‘n’, or ‘tb1’. Coins cannot be sent between networks. If mainnet bitcoin is sent to a testnet address, it is destroyed and unrecoverable. The same fate applies to testnet coins sent to mainnet addresses.

Related Terms
Faucet
A Bitcoin faucet is a digital service that gives out bitcoin for free. Faucets were popular in the first few years of Bitcoin’s existence, when bitcoin was cheap and demand was relatively low. Today, faucets are exceedingly rare and give out small amounts of bitcoin.
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Testnet
Testnet is a parallel blockchain to Bitcoin’s blockchain, used solely for testing and development. The testnet network has a separate token which has no monetary value.
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Blockchain
A blockchain is a chronological list of records, called blocks. Each of these blocks contains transactions. Once a block is added to the blockchain, it is infeasible to alter, giving Bitcoin its immutability.
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Signet
Signet is a proposed new test network parallel to the Bitcoin network. Signet would use signatures to validate blocks, not a Proof-of-Work system, and coins would not be monetized.
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