After 40 days running, today we say goodbye to Antietam Testnet, reflect on what we learned, and prepare for the next steps towards Tellor Layer’s mainnet.
The Antietam Testnet was launched with one goal in mind—battle-testing Tellor Layer’s infrastructure to its limits. Being named after the famous US Civil War Battlefield, Antietam was all about pushing the boundaries, gathering insights, and identifying points of failure so that we can have a stronger next iteration. And guess what? We did exactly that.
Why Antietam Testnet?
Blockchain infrastructure isn’t easy to build, especially when it’s designed to run forever. Coordinating changes and upgrades across a global decentralized network is challenging by nature. This isn’t like rolling out a software patch—every upgrade requires the entire system to pause, consensus from validators, and meticulous attention to how changes ripple through the network.
Antietam Testnet gave us the perfect sandbox to test these boundaries. It was never about keeping things running smoothly; it was about seeing where things break and gathering the data we need to build a more resilient network. From stress-testing reward calculations to upgrading critical parameters, Antietam showed us exactly what we needed to improve.
What We Learned
Throughout this testnet iteration, we gained invaluable insights into the network’s limits, how validators handle updates, and how we can make the system more robust. We switched from integer to decimal-based reward calculations for greater accuracy, transitioned query metadata from queryId to queryData for better information transparency, and refined the process of managing validator downtime.
These tests were designed to break the system—and they did. But that’s what makes this a success, not a failure. Every piece of information we gathered is crucial to ensuring that when we relaunch, Tellor Layer will be stronger and more efficient than ever before.
What’s Next?
We’re finalizing our upgrades and preparing for the next phase. When we relaunch, the network will be equipped with an upgraded suite of tools, tests, and processes designed to provide better data and more accurate rewards for users. The improvements we’re making will make the system more resilient and easier to upgrade, giving us more flexibility while maintaining the reliability that Tellor is known for.
Stay tuned for the full details on what we learned, and keep an eye out for the relaunch.
