Networks

Sui has several networks available, each serving a different purpose. Each network consists of nodes. For details, see What types of nodes run on each network?.

Which networks does Sui provide?

Network	Purpose	Tokens	Epoch length	Data persistence
Mainnet	Production applications and transactions	Real SUI or MIST, bought from an exchange	Approximately 24 hours	Always persisted
Testnet	Staging network to test code before production	Testnet SUI and MIST from a faucet; no real value	Approximately 24 hours	Not guaranteed; Sui announces planned wipes ahead of time
Devnet	Unstable network for developing against upcoming features	Not specified	1 hour	Wiped weekly
Localnet	Local development on your own computer	Local faucet	Not specified	Configurable

How do I choose a network?

Use Localnet to develop in an environment you control, Testnet to test your code before placing it in production, and Mainnet for production applications and transactions. Use Devnet only if you want to write code against upcoming Sui features. Sui does not recommend it for new developers because it is better suited for advanced use cases.

Mainnet

Mainnet is responsible for all production environment applications and transactions. All activity on Mainnet costs real SUI or MIST tokens, which have a value of fiat currency. You must buy SUI or MIST from an exchange, and you can sell excess SUI or MIST on the exchange at a later date for its fiat value. All activity on Mainnet is public, and you can view it through explorers such as suiscan.

Epochs on Mainnet are approximately 24 hours long. The network always persists data. Learn more about data storage and storage fees.

The RPC URL for Mainnet is: https://fullnode.mainnet.sui.io:443.

Testnet

Testnet is a staging network designed for developers to test their code before placing it in production. Activity on Testnet uses Testnet SUI and MIST tokens, which you can obtain through a faucet. Testnet tokens have no real value, and you cannot exchange them for fiat currency.

All activity on Testnet is public, and you can view it through explorers such as SuiVision.

Epochs on Testnet are approximately 24 hours long. Testnet does not guarantee data persistence because occasional data wipes might occur. Do not rely on Testnet for permanent storage. Testnet data persists through the regular update process, and Sui announces planned data wipes ahead of time.

The RPC URL for Testnet is: https://fullnode.testnet.sui.io:443.

Devnet

Devnet is an unstable network used to develop new features. If you want to write code against upcoming Sui features, you can use this network for early testing before Sui finalizes and releases the feature.

All activity on Devnet is public, and you can view it through explorers such as suiscan.

Epochs on Devnet are 1 hour long. Sui does not recommend Devnet for new developers because it is better suited for advanced use cases. Devnet wipes its data weekly as part of its scheduled update process.

The RPC URL for Devnet is: https://fullnode.devnet.sui.io:443.

Localnet

Localnet runs an instance of the Sui network on your local computer. Developing on a local network provides an optimized workflow in an environment you control. You can set custom network configuration parameters, such as data persistence and a local faucet.

tip

A local faucet enables you to mint as many Testnet tokens as you need for your development process, avoiding the limitations imposed on public faucets for Testnet.

Learn more about creating a local Sui network.

What types of nodes run on each network?

Each network consists of nodes. Nodes provide resources to the network and participate in activities such as validating onchain transactions through a process called consensus. There are 2 types of nodes on each Sui network:

• Full node: Can validate blockchain activity including transactions, checkpoints, and epoch changes.

• Validator node: Responsible for signing transactions, staking, gas price references, and tallying rules, in addition to validating blockchain activity.

Full nodes are not able to sign transactions and only have access to a read-only view of the network's state. They are capable of storing and maintaining the chain's full history, and can validate the integrity of the chain by re-executing transactions after a quorum of validators has committed them.

Validator nodes can sign transactions but only store the latest transactions.

Learn more about nodes on Sui.