Mainnet for Beginners: Your Guide to the Live Blockchain
A mainnet is the live, operational version of a blockchain network where real cryptocurrency transactions are processed and recorded. For creators launching a token, moving to mainnet is the final, public step where your asset becomes tradable and holds real value. Understanding mainnet is essential for anyone building or investing in crypto projects.
Key Points
- 1A mainnet is the live, public blockchain where real crypto assets are transferred and valued.
- 2Projects launch on mainnet after testing on a testnet, marking their official public release.
- 3For token creators, a Solana mainnet launch is where your token becomes tradable on DEXs.
- 4Mainnet transactions require real SOL for gas fees to process and validate operations.
- 5Choosing a launchpad like Spawned handles the technical mainnet deployment for you.
What is a Mainnet? The Live Blockchain
The mainnet is where crypto gets real.
Think of a mainnet as the final, published version of a software application, but for a blockchain. It's the primary network where the protocol's cryptocurrency (like Bitcoin on the Bitcoin mainnet or SOL on the Solana mainnet) has actual monetary value and all transactions are permanent.
Before a project goes live on its mainnet, developers use a testnet—a separate, identical network that uses valueless 'test' tokens. This allows for experimentation and bug-fixing without financial risk. The mainnet launch is the official 'day one' for a blockchain or a new token, signaling it's ready for public use and real economic activity.
Mainnet vs. Testnet: Practice vs. The Real Game
Understanding the difference between these two environments is crucial for safe development.
| Feature | Testnet | Mainnet |
|---|---|---|
| Tokens | Free, valueless 'faucet' tokens | Real cryptocurrency with market value |
| Purpose | Testing, debugging, simulation | Real transactions and economic activity |
| Risk | Zero financial risk | High risk; transactions are permanent |
| Network | Often separate, may have less stability | Primary, stable live network |
| Cost | Free to use (gas fees are fake) | Requires real crypto (e.g., SOL) for gas fees |
For a creator, you'd build and test your token's website and smart contract logic on a testnet. Once everything works perfectly, you launch on mainnet, which requires a small amount of SOL (e.g., 0.1 SOL or ~$20 on Spawned) to deploy the contract and make your token a reality.
Why Launching on Mainnet Matters for Token Creators
For crypto creators and builders, the mainnet launch is the most critical event. Here’s what it enables:
- Real Value & Trading: Your token transitions from a test idea to an asset with a market price. It can be bought, sold, and traded on decentralized exchanges (DEXs).
- Community Access: A mainnet launch makes your project publicly accessible. Anyone with a Solana wallet can hold your token, fostering a real community.
- Revenue Generation: Live tokens can generate fees. For example, Spawned applies a 0.30% fee on every trade, creating ongoing revenue for creators from day one.
- Permanent Record: Every transaction—every buy, sell, or transfer—is immutably recorded on the Solana blockchain, providing transparency and a permanent history.
- Integration Potential: Once on mainnet, other apps and protocols can integrate your token, listing it on market trackers or allowing it as collateral in DeFi.
The Simple 3-Step Mainnet Launch Process
How to go from idea to live token in minutes.
Launching a token on mainnet doesn't have to be complex. Modern launchpads streamline the technical hurdles.
Mainnet Costs and Key Considerations
Smart planning turns launch costs into long-term revenue.
Launching on mainnet involves specific costs and decisions that impact your project's long-term health.
Upfront Costs:
- Launch Fee: Platforms charge a fee to cover blockchain deployment. Spawned charges 0.1 SOL (~$20).
- Gas Fees: The computational cost of the deployment transaction itself, a small fraction of SOL.
Ongoing Structure (The Critical Choice): This is where your project's sustainability is defined. You must choose a token standard and fee model.
- Traditional Token (SPL): No built-in mechanism for ongoing creator revenue from trades.
- Token-2022 with Fees: The modern standard. Spawned uses this to embed a small, perpetual fee on transactions. For example, a 0.30% fee on each trade goes to the creator, and another 0.30% can be distributed to loyal token holders as rewards. This creates a sustainable model from the first trade.
Verdict: Choosing Your Path to Mainnet
Don't code your mainnet launch; use a platform built for it.
For a beginner creator, manually deploying a smart contract directly to the Solana mainnet is a high-risk, complex task with a significant margin for costly error.
The recommended path is to use a dedicated launchpad like Spawned. It abstracts the technical complexity, ensures proper use of the Token-2022 standard for sustainable fees, and bundles an AI-generated website—saving you $29-99 per month on web hosting. You get a secure, compliant mainnet launch, a built-in revenue model (0.30% per trade), and a professional presence immediately.
The alternative—hiring a developer, auditing code, and manually configuring a website—costs thousands upfront and lacks the integrated fee structure for automatic, perpetual revenue. For a sustainable start, a launchpad built for creators is the clear choice.
Ready to Launch Your Token on Mainnet?
Go from concept to live mainnet token with a complete ecosystem.
Your idea shouldn't be stuck on a testnet. With Spawned, you can launch your Solana token on the mainnet in minutes, not weeks. Get the benefits of the Token-2022 standard for creator revenue, a built-in holder reward system, and a professional website from day one—all for a 0.1 SOL launch fee.
Related Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
No, they are different. Launching on mainnet means deploying your token's smart contract to the live blockchain, making it exist and be tradable. An ICO (Initial Coin Offering) is a specific fundraising event where you sell a portion of those tokens to raise capital. You can launch on mainnet without an ICO, and many community tokens do just that.
No. This is the most critical point to understand. Transactions on a mainnet blockchain like Solana are permanent and immutable. They cannot be reversed, canceled, or altered. This is why thorough testing on a testnet and using audited tools from platforms like Spawned is so important before any mainnet deployment.
Both are live, public blockchains, but they are separate networks with different native currencies (SOL vs. ETH), technical architectures, and transaction costs. Solana is designed for high speed and lower fees. A token created on Solana mainnet exists only on the Solana network and cannot be directly sent to an Ethereum wallet. As a creator, you choose which mainnet to build on based on your community, cost, and speed needs.
Not if you use a launchpad. Platforms like Spawned are designed specifically so creators don't need coding knowledge. You provide the basic details for your token (name, symbol, supply), and the platform generates the secure smart contract and deploys it to mainnet for you. The AI website builder also creates your project site without code.
Gas fees are small payments in the network's native currency (like SOL) that compensate validators for processing transactions. On mainnet, the person initiating a transaction pays the gas fee. When you launch a token, you pay the gas for the deployment. When someone buys your token later, they pay the gas for their trade. Spawned's launch fee of 0.1 SOL covers the deployment gas and platform service.
Your token is live and tradable. It will automatically appear in Solana wallets that support the Token-2022 standard. You can share your Spawned-generated project website to build your community. Trading can begin immediately, and if you set a creator fee (e.g., 0.30%), you will start earning revenue from every transaction. Your focus shifts to community building and project development.
The security of your token's contract depends on how it was created. Using a reputable, audited launchpad like Spawned significantly reduces risk, as they use standardized, secure contract code. The immutable nature of mainnet also means once launched, the core rules of your token (like its total supply) cannot be changed by anyone, adding a layer of security and trust for holders.
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