Shimmer is the staging network for IOTA. All new features are first implemented and tested on Shimmer before being later ported to IOTA.
Stardust Protocol Upgrade (Shimmer)
The largest utility upgrade in IOTA’s history, first being deployed with the Shimmer network launch. Bringing Layer 1 native tokens and NFTs, smart contract chain anchoring, storage deposits, improved microtransactions and more.
A testbed for IOTA 2.0 (informally known as coordicide). A fully functional and constantly-evolving testnet for experimentation and finalisation of the IOTA 2.0 protocol, running on the GoShimmer node software.