Ripple dev proposes Canary network for XRP ledger following AMM bug discovery

Leading Ripple developer and Xumm wallet founder Wietse Wind has floated the idea of a Canary network for the XRP ledger (XRPL).

This Canary network will be a “separate network” acting as a dedicated testing ground for new features before they are officially launched on the mainnet.

“The recent finding of a bug in the freshly launched AMM on the XRP Ledger shows the need for better testing. Testing with real value, on a network that isn’t mainnet. Testing when an amendment is available, not when it was voted in and went live,” Wind wrote in an X post on March 25.

The bug, discovered on March 24, resulted in some transactions not executing properly. Wind argues this could have been prevented with more thorough pre-launch testing. 

The developer envisions the Canary Network as a sandbox environment that mirrors the main XRP Ledger in functionality but is only used for testing purposes. It would feature a native token with intrinsic value to mimic real-world testing scenarios. 

The developer proposed introducing real stablecoins, such as EUR, USD, and USDC, through collaboration with GateHub. This would allow developers and users to simulate tests and even try to exploit the network to weed out possible vulnerabilities. 

However, Wind stressed that it would be crucial to maintain a full history like the mainnet and provide wallet and tool support to ensure thorough testing conditions.

Wind also outlined his intention to engage in discussions with the wider XRP community and stakeholders when proceeding with the proposal. Ideal participants would include ecosystem participants, compliance officers, legal advisors, and representatives from various projects to gather insights, identify potential challenges, and explore opportunities.

The concept of a Canary Network is not unique to the XRP Ledger. Several other networks have employed similar testing environments. 

Ethereum, for instance, uses multiple testnets, such as Goerli, Holesky, and Sepolia, to thoroughly test upgrades before they are deployed on the mainnet.

Wind’s initiative has been supported by the XRP community. The bug discovered caused several protocols using AMM Pools on the XRP ledger to halt their services. Support from the community stems from concerns about the future of AMMs on XRPL, as the issue was discovered just days after the XRPL AMM went live on March 22.