I get that DevNet is “before” TestNet, but practically speaking, what does that mean for me as a builder? Should I think of DevNet as unstable experimentation only, or is it closer to a pre-production environment?
The Public DevNet is the last step before the full TestNet, and its purpose is to maximize experimentation. It started as an internal proving ground and is now open so any developer can push the infrastructure, surface edge cases, and shape how the system evolves. TestNet will be more refined, incorporating feedback and improvements discovered on DevNet, plus new shards, consensus variants, and compute layers as they roll out. So: DevNet is where you’re encouraged to break things and explore concepts; TestNet will be closer to the conditions and constraints of the eventual MainNet.