What is the Aztec Public Testnet? | Aztec Blog

Launched on May 1, 2025, Aztec’s Public Testnet (estnet) marks a pivotal milestone toward a fully decentralized, privacy-focused Layer 2 on Ethereum. This phase rigorously stress-tests core decentralization mechanisms: sequencing, proving, and governance—all vital to Aztec’s zero-knowledge (ZK) architecture. The testnet introduces end-to-end programmable privacy, letting users generate client-side ZK proofs on browser or mobile, ensuring activity and balances remain private even from validators and network operators. This sets the foundation for scalable, privacy-preserving dApps with strong decentralization guarantees.

Key Ideas

Three Pillars of Decentralization: Testing decentralized sequencing, proving, and governance to validate Aztec’s long-term roadmap.
Client-Side Privacy Innovation: Users generate Zero-Knowledge Proofs locally, enabling on-chain actions while preserving full privacy from network infrastructure.