Development Environment
Before you can begin building applications on a private Hedera network, you need to choose a development environment. This page outlines the available options for fast iteration and testing.
Prerequisites
Before choosing a development environment, you should have a basic understanding of the following:
The Hedera Network (testnet, previewnet, and mainnet)
Hedera accounts and clients
Transaction and query basics
If you are new to Hedera, we recommend starting with the Hedera Developer Portal to get up to speed.
Public Networks
For many public applications, the Hedera testnet or previewnet are suitable for development and testing. These networks are free to use and provide a sandbox environment that closely mirrors the mainnet.
Testnet: Runs the same code as the Hedera Mainnet, providing a stable, pre-production environment for testing applications before deploying them to the mainnet.
Previewnet: Offers early access to upcoming features and code that is under development by the Hedera team. The previewnet is updated frequently, and SDK support for new features is not guaranteed.
If the public networks are not suitable for your needs—for example, if you require a completely isolated environment or need to test specific network configurations—you have two private network options.
Private Network Options
1. Solo
Solo is a command-line interface (CLI) for deploying and managing standalone, single-node test networks. You can run a Solo network on a laptop or in a dedicated development environment.
To get started with Solo, see the getting started guide in the official repository.
2. Test HashSphere
For enterprise teams, a dedicated Test HashSphere provides a private, managed environment for development and testing. Customer operations teams typically manage access to this environment.
Key Features
Private Network: A completely isolated network environment, giving you full control over network configuration, node management, and data privacy.
Predictable Performance: Consistent and predictable performance, as you are not competing for resources with other users on a public network.
Custom Configurations: The ability to test specific network configurations, such as custom transaction throttles or different node software versions.
Onboarding
To get started with a Test HashSphere, you will need to contact the Hashgraph team to begin the onboarding process. The team will provide you with the necessary node address book and required identifiers to configure your SDK client.
To request a Test HashSphere or to discuss your specific requirements, please contact the team via the Hashgraph contact page.
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