![img](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1000/1*N5vonlsTqrUl6SdDOmbmVg.png)

Since the NULS launched mainnet in July 2018, the NULS core team and the NULS community have maintained the testnet concurrently alongside the mainnet.
As of now, there are 97 testnet nodes total, distributed in **France, Germany, India, Singapore, China, the United States** and other countries.
To ensure the consistency between the testnet and the mainnet environments, it was necessary to encourage more members of the community to participate in running testnet nodes, so the NULS community voted to pass the [NULS Test Network Improvement Proposal](https://nuls.community/d/259-ncg20190118-nuls-test-network-improvements-node-forge-proposal) to help incentivize participation.

![img](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1000/1*UKQAob3ZlfOyj9pSfSZ2BA.png)

The proposal was initiated by Node Forge, a masternode hosting service provider for both mainnet and testnet nodes, owned and operated by NULS community members and supporters, Roger and Andrew.

![img](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1000/1*UtH_5WGX9OMpYVt61Rlgbg.png)

According to the proposal, the NULS community used the Community Fund to create a node on the mainnet with a deposit of 20,000 NULS to include a staked amount of 500k NULS (the maximum staked amount). At present, the node generates about 6800 NULS from consensus rewards each month. These rewards, **except for the maintenance cost of the mainnet node itself, will all be used to incentivize each consensus node participating in the maintenance of the NULS testnet.**

Nodes will be awarded with the NULS tokens based on how many blocks are produced by each testnet node. If a node misses a block, it misses a portion of the incentive rewards paid out once each month to each node. When speed and stress tests are conducted, the testnet will provide important data about the performance and system requirements for all nodes on the testnet, and aide in preparation for the same tests on the main network.

The NULS core team believe that testnet is just as important as the main network. The NULS testnet includes a web wallet, a block explorer, and a test network client, which have an almost identical structure as the NULS main network. The testnet is an important tool for iterating and maintaining the mainnet and other products. Since the mainnet was launched, the NULS core team and the technical community have jointly updated the mainnet and other products, such as the underlying random number generation mechanism as well as the block explorer. Strict testing is required for every iteration and maintenance on the testnet. **Only by ensuring the consistency of the testnet and the mainnet as much as possible, can problems with upgrades and new versions of products, etc. be discovered more effectively. The test network is an important guarantee for the security and stability of the main network.**
We welcome more teams and individuals to join and maintain the NULS testnet in anticipation of the upcoming speed and stress tests that will be conducted in preparation of the same for the main network.

We thank you for your participation!

The NULS Core Team — #Nulsdeep and no sleep till adoption.
### Join our social media and explore NULS!

**LinkedIn** 👉 [Follow now](https://www.linkedin.com/company/nuls-blockchain)
**Twitter** 👉 [Follow now](https://twitter.com/nulsservice)
**Reddit** 👉 [Subscribe now](https://www.reddit.com/r/nulsservice/)
**Telegram** 👉 [Join now](https://t.me/Nulsio)
**YouTube** 👉 [Subscribe now](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVIyQ6rE49XBm1sTvNZxQVQ)
**Medium** 👉[ Join now](https://medium.com/@nuls)
**Instagram** 👉 [Follow now](https://www.instagram.com/nulsio/?hl=en)
**Discord** 👉 [Follow now](https://discordapp.com/invite/uZ)