Bitcoin’s primary testnet, TBTC, is in urgent need of a reset due to the occurrence of “block storms” and the exploitation of testnet Bitcoin by certain projects, according to Jameson Lopp, co-founder of Bitcoin custody firm Casa. In an essay titled “Griefing Bitcoin’s Testnet,” Lopp stated that the testnet’s unique consensus mechanism sometimes results in over 10,000 blocks being produced in a single day, compared to the Bitcoin mainnet’s average of 144 blocks per day. As a result, the testnet’s block height has reached 2,811,000, equivalent to where the Bitcoin mainnet would be in 2061. This has led to a significant reduction in rewards for testnet miners, rendering the network unusable for developers seeking to create new tokens. Lopp also highlighted the issue of projects exploiting the scarcity of testnet Bitcoin by selling it at mainnet exchange rates. To prevent the accrual of value on the testnet, Lopp suggested implementing regular resets and encouraged Bitcoin developers and users to transition to “testnet4” in the coming months.
Bitcoin developer urges for testnet reboot due to bad actors and 'block storms'