Welcome to the quarterly report (Q[3] 2025) for our Testnet node,
Casper Staking. Leveraging our experience from operating two validator nodes on Mainnet, we dedicate this Testnet node to actively supporting the Casper blockchain during its crucial testing and development phases.
Our goal is to contribute to the network’s robustness, security, and performance, all while sharing what we learn. This report details our performance, operational updates, and the lessons learned over the past quarter.
Node Performance
This section provides a detailed overview of our node’s performance during the quarter.
- Uptime: 100%
- Block Production: 3,861
- First block of the quarter: #5,235,119 (Jul 1, 2025, 12:18:44 AM GMT+7)
- Last block of the quarter: #5,685,271 (Sep 30, 2025, 11:39:36 PM GMT+7)
- Validator Weight: 10,058,069.94173 CSPR
- Staking Rewards (Testnet): ~ 5,205 CSPR (over ~1000 eras, average of 5.20 CSPR/era)
- On-chain Data:
- Link to validator on the explorer (e.g., CSPR.live): https://testnet.cspr.live/validator/014878b5b733f517e61633574e59983b1c0d28ddb4e52edfb8484a1e76ed539601
Performance Summary Table
| Metric |
Value |
| Uptime (%) |
100% |
| Blocks Produced |
3,861 |
| Validator Weight (Average) |
10,058,069.94173 CSPR |
| Total Rewards (Testnet CSPR) |
~ 5,205 CSPR |
Operational Updates
Here, we detail all operational updates or changes made to our node during the quarter.
- Hardware Changes: None.
- Software Updates: * During this quarter, the Casper Testnet was upgraded to version 2.0.4 at Era 19267. This update took place on Thursday, September 11, around 12:46 UTC.
- On our end, we also proceeded to upgrade our node’s operating system to Ubuntu 22.04 at the end of the quarter, as the previous version was no longer officially supported by Casper.
- Configuration Changes: No configuration changes beyond the default installation.
- Monitoring and Alerting: We use the monitoring provided by Era Guardian. Alerts are configured to trigger if performance drops below 99%. A Telegram notification is also sent at the end of each era if its performance was below 99%.
Hardware Specifications and Provider
Here are the details of the hardware/machine/server we use, along with the service provider and the server cost.
- Processor (CPU): AMD Ryzen™ 5 3600 (6 cores / 12 threads @ 3.6 GHz – Zen 2)
- Memory (RAM): 64 GB DDR4 RAM
- Storage (Disk): 2 x 512 GB NVMe SSD
- Provider: Hetzner
- Monthly Cost: €44.76
Analysis and Recommendations: Our experience with Hetzner has been very positive. The hardware (AMD Ryzen 5 3600 with 64GB RAM and NVMe SSDs) is extremely reliable, offering excellent value for money. We experienced no downtime due to hardware failure or network outages from Hetzner this quarter.
Economic Viability Analysis (Testnet): This quarter, our Testnet staking rewards amount to approximately 5,205 CSPR, with an approximate value of $52.05 USD (based on a price of $0.01 USD/CSPR). In comparison, our monthly server cost is €44.76, bringing the total quarterly cost to €134.28.
It is important to note that Testnet rewards are fictitious and do not share the same APY as Mainnet. The primary objective is to test the network’s stability, security, and performance.
Lessons Learned
Here we share our experiences and what we learned during the quarter.
- Challenges: No major challenges to report this quarter.
- Successes: Our main successes include the successful migration of the node to a new server, updating the operating system and node software, all while maintaining a perfect 100% uptime.
- Insights: We plan to continue the Testnet program as long as it remains economically viable relative to infrastructure costs.
- Best Practices: We have reinforced several best practices: always perform a double-check before any production deployment; be patient and wait for clear instructions from the developers, as communications on Telegram can sometimes be confusing; and maintain our own « how-to » files, which are often clearer for our internal processes than the official documentation.
Community Contributions
Highlighting the contributions we made to the Casper community during the quarter.
- Helping other node operators: We remained constantly alert in the Testnet Telegram group for any important updates or information and answered technical questions when we could.
- Content Creation: The drafting of this detailed quarterly report, which requires significant time and effort to compile and analyze data.
Conclusion
This quarter was marked by flawless operational performance, with 100% uptime and successful software and hardware migrations. As Casper Staking, we have demonstrated our commitment to maintaining a robust Testnet node, while learning valuable lessons about the importance of patience and internal documentation.
For the next quarter, our goal remains the same: to actively support the Casper network. We will continue to monitor the economic viability of the Testnet program while actively participating in the community.
Thank you for reading our report!
Support Our Work
If you appreciate our work and commitment on the Testnet, you can support us by delegating to our Mainnet nodes. Your support helps us continue to provide reliable infrastructure.
Disclaimer: This report is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. The information provided is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication.
