Waterfall Network is set to take the next significant step toward its mainnet debut, having unveiled the final Testnet 8.

Waterfall Network, a Layer 1 decentralized platform for smart contracts, announced the release of Testnet 8, which aims to provide superior scalability for decentralized applications. smart contract platforms.

Testnet 8 marks the final testing round for Waterfall Network before the platform is opened up for public access, serving as a last validation check to confirm everything functions properly.

According to Sergii Grybniak, Blue Wave's CTO and Waterfall's Head of Research, the various phases of testing have been crucial in ensuring that the upcoming public mainnet operates efficiently and can support nearly limitless scalability. He expressed gratitude to the community for their involvement in optimizing Waterfall's Layer 1 structure and is eager to gather insights from the concluding phase of Testnet 8.

As per the update, the network's capability has significantly increased, now managing over 10,000 transactions every second, with essential improvements made to enhance overall efficiency.

In this iteration, the development crew has refined the block state calculation process, ensuring no redundant operations occur during block creation and validation. Significant adjustments were also made to gas calculations, and changes in block distribution have successfully expedited the propagation speed. Overall restructuring was primarily focused on these three areas, Richard Wang, Chairman of Waterfall Network, explained to Metaverse Post.

Looking ahead, the development team intends to fine-tune the Merkle tree computation and enhance block propagation further. Moreover, they plan to revamp and optimize the finalization phase, which will result in continued enhancements to the system's scalability.

Prior to the official launch of the Mainnet—defined as the live and accessible version of the decentralized smart contract platform—the company emphasized the necessity of assessing the update deployment mechanism without interrupting the network's functions. There are two methods for accomplishing this:

• Soft fork – This involves making modifications to the software , while maintaining the network's normal operations, allowing all participants to adhere to the same protocol.
• Hard fork – This occurs when changes are introduced, and only software that aligns with the new regulations will continue functioning from a specified moment onward.

Wang mentioned that the development team is consistently testing the first method, while they will also evaluate the second one in conjunction with implementing crucial upgrades to the network.

Waterfall's EVM Compatibility Fuels Smart Contract Growth

One of Waterfall’s notable attributes is its compatibility with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), as highlighted by Richard Wang. The EVM represents a foremost standard for smart contracts, and Waterfall is directly associated with Ethereum via bridges, serves as a side chain.

This connection simplifies the transfer of assets between Ethereum and Waterfall, permitting users to conduct extensive computations more economically. Importantly, applications developed on Ethereum using EVM can easily migrate to Waterfall, facilitating a smoother development pathway and nurturing the expansion of decentralized applications within the Waterfall ecosystem,” Wang informed Metaverse Post.

Wang expressed appreciation for the community's contributions to the testing of the platform. Currently, TestNet7 features 232 participants (which includes block producers for the Coordination and Shard network) managed by various community members.

According to Waterfall, feedback has poured in from both newcomers and seasoned developers alike, allowing the team to incorporate a variety of usability enhancements based on this valuable input. This ongoing initiative aligns with the essential aspects of achieving mass adoption, emphasizing user-friendliness and convenience.

While the exact launch date for the mainnet has yet to be revealed, the upcoming release of Testnet 8 signifies an exciting milestone in Waterfall Network’s mission to revolutionize decentralized smart contract platforms.