Mainnet is the live, production blockchain where real-value transactions occur, as opposed to test networks.
Mainnet enforces real consensus rules and carries economic value. Development often happens first on testnets with fake coins to avoid risk before deploying to mainnet.
"A protocol upgrade is tested on testnet and then activated on mainnet after community consensus."
"Wallets default to mainnet but may offer testnet modes for development and QA."
Mainnet activity drives fees, miner incentives, and security. Outages or bugs can have real financial consequences.
"A congested mainnet raises fees, impacting user experience until capacity or fee market adjustments occur."
"Testnet forks can occur frequently; mainnet forks require extensive coordination to avoid chain splits."
All terms and definitions may update as the Cryptionary improves.