Next steps with Shimmer
Shimmer will be IOTA’s new test network. One of the first major developments on this network is the feature-rich upgrade Stardust and Tokenization Framework. If you’d like to learn more about this upgrade and why this is such an important IOTA milestone, I’d like to put one of our recent articles near you, where all the functionality is described as tech-free as possible:
Shimmer is always a precursor to the IOTA mainnet, which means that all developments will always run on the Shimmer network first before being implemented in the IOTA mainnet.
Right before the update goes there, it will first run through an internal network called a pre-flashing testnet called “Go-Shimmer” and then be converted to a beta-only “Shimmer”. If you will, do a network pre-test before the actual network test 😉. The operation of all other future applications will always be based on this sequence.
After a successful implementation, the network is transferred directly to a so-called multi-asset ledger, so you can, for example, use shinning tokens to create your own NFTs in a flicker network. After this has been tried, tested and verified, the network will be officially launched.
After the start, all tokens will be freely transferable. Then, there you will also have the opportunity to participate in your existing Shimmer Tokens in the Shimmer Test Network (yes, you heard that right, you can also participate again in the existing Test Network in order to get rewards in the Network). This gives developers the opportunity to create, provide, and test their first applications, such as smart contracts or their own assets, before implementing them in the IOTA mainnet.
Conclusion about the IOTA catcher
At this point, I would like to quote from the IOTA Foundation the following paragraph:
The above-mentioned milestones are the key components of becoming a networking ecosystem. By bringing together IOTA, L1 infrastructure, Shimmer, Test Network, and a multi-threaded aggregation approach, we are setting the stage for expanding the horizons of our core services and setting precedents for the future of Web3 construction.
By working closely with our community, we have made many accomplishments, large and small, that we equally value and that have shaped our core identity: a community enterprise. Transparency plays a crucial role in this journey, so this roadmap aims not only to give the community a comprehensive overview, but also to encourage them and especially all developers and builders to join us as we move forward.
It’s exciting and still exciting. At IOTA, we’re all very excited to see how quickly the next steps, now outlined and presenting a proper picture, can actually be done. Until then, there are still many storage periods to increase the number of tokens.
