New Testnet 26 Jan 2022

A quick reminder that the Dibbler testnet will be starting on 26 Jan 2022. This testnet includes functionality in the base layer which will enable sidechains such as the digital assets layer. The development of the digital assets layer is in its very early stages but you can start looking at it already in the development branch. Be warned though, the APIs are not final and are subject to change dramatically and without notice.

Covenants

Other features to look forward to in Dibbler are covenants. Covenants are an extension to standard Mimblewimble which allow the creator of a UTXO to dictate the rules about how it is spent. One main use case is to ensure that UTXOs that represent sidechain checkpoints are always valid. Convenants have been recently merged into the development branch so you can already test it out locally if you compile from source. For more information on covenants, see RFC-0250.

What happens to Weatherwax?

As with previous testnets, the current Weatherwax testnet will continue, but the Tari Testnet Limited store will only accept Dibbler transactions. Also, there will be some new items announced for the store soon!

What’s up next?

The development community is working on optimizing block and transaction propagation. Weatherwax has been the most stable testnet we’ve run so far, but there are still some inefficiencies in terms of CPU usage and network traffic, particularly when blocks are full. We’re also formalizing the digital asset templates and sidechain specifications.