Athens Testnet — ZetaChain

ZetaChain has reached a significant milestone with the launch of its new long-term testnet, called “Athens-3.” This upgraded and decentralized network marks a major step in ZetaChain’s journey towards launching the first EVM-compatible L1 blockchain that connects everything. The previous testnet, “Athens-2,” will be phased out as Athens-3 takes over.

A Successful Athens-3 Genesis

ZetaChain has launched Athens-3, the most recent version of their platform and the foundation of their Incentivized Testnet Program. Athens-3 is designed to function as the primary testnet for ZetaChain, offering a range of new features, increased decentralization within the ecosystem, and the inclusion of external validators who actively contribute to the network’s operation.

New Features in Athens-3

The network has undergone notable changes for developers, including:

1. ZetaChain Connector: A new Connector on ZetaChain facilitates the seamless transfer of the ZETA token between ZetaChain and other interconnected chains. This integration enhances the interoperability of ZetaChain, allowing omnichain smart contracts on ZetaChain to access both the Connector and the ZRC-20 mechanics. Future updates will enable the Connector to transmit arbitrary data from omnichain smart contracts, unlocking a range of new interactions.
2. ERC-20 Support for ZRC-20: The protocol now supports ERC-20 assets for ZRC-20. This means that ERC-20 tokens from connected chains can be utilized via ZRC-20 on zEVM, in addition to the existing gas assets. The network has the capability to whitelist these assets, enabling decentralized management of new tokens like ERC-20s through zEVM contracts.
3. Enhanced Visibility of Cosmos Transactions: Transactions originating from external Cosmos transactions and processed by zEVM are now more transparent and traceable. This development improves transparency and indexability, allowing for efficient indexing and searching of cross-chain transactions on zEVM from external chains.
4. Strengthened Security Measures: Athens-3 introduces various security enhancements, code refinements, and bug fixes to bolster the network’s overall security. ZetaChain remains dedicated to ensuring the safety of its network and will continue to conduct rigorous protocol and smart contract audits to maintain a high level of confidence. Further security audit details will be released in due course.

The Transition to Athens-3

After achieving stability, Athens-3 will become ZetaChain’s primary long-term testnet. Following this transition, there will be a closure period of approximately 60 days for the current Athens-2 testnet. This overlapping period is designed to give developers sufficient time to migrate their projects from Athens-2 to Athens-3.

Developer Migration Instructions

ZetaChain advises developers to begin their transition plan to Athens-3 without delay.

If you have deployed on zEVM, transitioning to Athens-3 is a straightforward process. You can deploy the new Athens-3 network/RPC by referring to the provided information.

For developers working with cross-chain messaging or utilizing TSS (e.g., through ZRC20), updating the TSS/Connector contracts used by your dApps to those of Athens-3 will be necessary. The relevant contracts can be found in the provided link.

The grace period following the stabilization of Athens-3 should provide ample time to migrate your projects and acquaint yourselves with the new features and environment. For most already deployed applications, the transition should be virtually seamless. Comprehensive documentation and resources, including:
Connector and TSS addresses
RPCs
Blockscout Explorer
Updated examples

If you have any inquiries, please feel free to ask questions in the Discord channel 💬⼁dev-general. Furthermore, the documentation is now open-source, allowing the community to contribute edits, revisions, and even new documentation.

Timeline

By August 2nd, Athens-2 will reach its end of life, but until then, both Athens-2 and Athens-3 testnets will coexist. It’s important to note that these dates are subject to change if additional time is required for the stabilization of Athens-3 or to assist with the ecosystem’s migration. The community can stay informed about any potential changes through Twitter and Discord.

Following the completion of this transition, ZetaChain will maintain a single primary testnet network called “Athens” for the foreseeable future. This network will serve as a platform for upgrades, developer testing, and the launch of the mainnet and beyond. Athens will act as a testing environment for new features before their integration into the mainnet, and it will be the primary hub where developers build their decentralized applications (dApps).

ZetaLabs

ZetaLabs, the development arm of ZetaChain, will continue to operate on Athens-2 for the time being. ZetaChain will provide updates regarding the timeline for ZetaLabs’ transition to Athens-3 in the future. It’s important to note that all ZETA Points earned within ZetaLabs will be preserved during the transition.

ZetaLabs will maintain its role as a valuable resource for developers, serving as a free testnet asset acquisition and swapping tool across all testnets. This allows developers to seamlessly build and experiment with their projects across different test environments.

Incentivized Testnet Updates

The completion of Phase 1 marks an important milestone for the Incentivized Testnet. The team is now preparing for Phase 2, which will involve the participation of additional validators to further test different aspects of the network. Detailed information about the incentivized testnet activities can be found in the Discord Nodes Zone. Anyone is welcome to access the validator documentation and join the network. At the end of the testnet, participants will be rewarded based on their contributions, with rewards being distributed accordingly.

Looking forward

The transition from Athens-2 to Athens-3 represents not just a technical upgrade, but a significant step towards the launch of ZetaChain’s mainnet. The ecosystem is ready to expand its knowledge and enhance the protocol as development on Athens-3 progresses. The community’s feedback, contributions to documentation and content, testing of node operations, and the development of dApps on ZetaChain are highly valuable. Together, we are working towards creating a transparent and interconnected future for the crypto industry.

About ZetaChain

ZetaChain stands as the world’s pioneering decentralized L1 blockchain, compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), and distinguished by its innate cross-chain interoperability. It seamlessly connects various blockchains, including non-smart contract chains like Bitcoin and Dogecoin. With ZetaChain’s comprehensive Omnichain toolkit, developers gain the ability to construct genuine omnichain decentralized applications (dApps) from a single logical point, while users can securely access their assets, data, and liquidity in one unified platform.

For the latest updates, follow ZetaChain on Twitter @zetablockchain, and engage in discussions on Discord and Telegram. If you are developing atop ZetaChain, don’t hesitate to reach out to partnerships@zetachain.com.

Any projects mentioned are 3rd party, not ZetaChain.

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