Chipnet
bitcoin-cash · development · testing
A public Bitcoin Cash test network that activates candidate upgrade rules before the corresponding mainnet date.
Chipnet is a Bitcoin Cash test network used to exercise candidate protocol-upgrade rules with real node and application software. Recent annual upgrade specifications have scheduled those rules on chipnet roughly six months before their intended mainnet activation.
Developers can use chipnet to test wallets, indexers, contracts, miners, and node interoperability under upcoming rules. Its coins have no intended monetary value, and production keys or seed phrases should not be reused there.
Successful chipnet operation is evidence, not a guarantee that a proposal is safe, supported, or destined for mainnet. Its hash rate, traffic, economic incentives, and participant set differ from mainnet, so additional review and testing remain necessary.
Related terms
Testnet
→A non-production blockchain network where developers test wallets, contracts, and upgrades using coins with no intended market value.
development · testing
Mainnet
→Mainnet is the live, production blockchain where real-value transactions occur, as opposed to test networks.
blockchain · environment
Cash Improvement Proposal (CHIP)
→A public technical proposal used to specify and evaluate changes or shared standards in the Bitcoin Cash ecosystem.
bitcoin-cash · governance · standard
Protocol Upgrade
→A coordinated change to the rules, messages, or policies implemented by network software.
governance · blockchain