Overview

The Ultimate Stress Test

In this testnet, we’re putting the Fermah Network under real pressure.

We’re looking for bottlenecks, scalability issues, and edge-case bugs that only emerge under heavy load. Speed, cost, and reliability are the core metrics we’ll be optimizing for. This is where theory meets reality, and we’ll be fine-tuning every part of the system.

When will Testnet be available?

Now.

The testnet will unfold in three distinct phases, named after pioneering mathematicians whose work laid the foundations for zero-knowledge proofs.

Phase One: Goldmiroff

This phase is named in honor of Shafi Goldwasser, Silvio Micali, and Charles Rackoff, who co-invented zero-knowledge proofs and first introduced the concept in their paper, “The Knowledge Complexity of Interactive Proof Systems.”

Like their foundational contributions, this phase establishes and launches the foundational components of our testnet infrastructure. In this phase:

• Complete testnet onboarding documentation will be provided to permissioned Prover Nodes

• A Prover Node operated by Fermah will be deployed for initial testing

Phase Two: Sahai

Named after Amit Sahai, who co-authored foundational works introducing concurrent ZKPs and whose research has advanced non-interactive zero-knowledge (NIZK) proofs. His work has accelerated making ZK systems practical and has influenced privacy and secure computation applications.

This phase accelerates our testnet by:

• Introducing external Prover Nodes to Fermah Network's testnet

• Running custom-made benchmarks

• Improving dev tooling for both Seekers and Prover Nodes

Phase Three: Boneh

Named after Dan Boneh, whose pioneering work on pairing-based cryptography and applied cryptosystems has revolutionized practical zero-knowledge applications.

In this phase:

• We gradually ramp the onboarding of external Prover Nodes

• Test the payment functionality of the Fermah Network

• Verify the functionality of the peer-to-peer network

Key Features for Prover Nodes

The supply side of the Fermah Network is bootstrapped by Prover Nodes, such as EigenLayer Operators, that provide the raw computation power required to generate ZKPs.

The following features are designed to streamline participation and ensure optimal performance:

• Node Tooling and Binaries: Docker images are provided for seamless node setup, making it easier for Prover Nodes to launch and manage their prover nodes without additional configuration complexities

• Incentivized Testnet Participation: As part of our incentivized testnet, participants will earn points based on their contribution to the network, which we plan to reward in the future

• Real-World Workload Testing: Prover Nodes will contribute to stress-testing the Fermah network under real-world conditions, generating proofs from actual ZK ecosystem partners like ZKsync, helping us fine-tune the system for scalability and performance

Key Features for Seekers

On the demand side of the Fermah Network, Seekers can request the generation of proofs for any instance in which ZK is used.

During Testnet, Seekers will receive:

• Developer Toolkit for Proof Request Submission: A client SDK enabling Seekers to easily submit Proof Requests, streamlining their operations

• Tracking Proof Requests via RPC API: Facilitates submission and status checking of proof requests through a JSON-RPC server

• Universal Proof Generation: Any proof systems can be deployed, and Seekers will be able to generate proofs for them.

• Reliable Proof Generation: The supply side of the Fermah Network is initially bootstrapped using EigenLayer Operators with a variety of hardware configurations. The distributed nature of the supply, backed by the economic security of EigenLayer, enables reliable proof generation.

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Disclaimer

While we've designed the testnet to be as stable as possible, we may need to make adjustments as we learn and respond to real-world conditions. Particularly:

• If we detect gaming of the point system, we'll implement appropriate changes

• Slashing functionality isn't expected at the onset but may be introduced later

• Hardware requirements may evolve as we optimize for different proving workflows

We'll communicate any changes clearly and promptly through our official X account and Discord.

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Testnet will have frequent updates to its various network components. It's important to check regularly for new updates to the software and documentation.