Networks

GenLayer operates as two layers: the GenLayer RPC handles intelligent contract operations (gen_* methods), while the GenLayer Chain is the underlying L2 (zkSync Elastic Chain) that handles standard Ethereum operations (eth_* methods). The GenLayer RPC also passes through all eth_* and zks_* calls to the underlying chain — but wallets like MetaMask validate a new network by calling net_version, which the GenLayer RPC does not implement (only eth_chainId), so adding the network to a wallet only works against the GenLayer Chain RPC, not the GenLayer RPC.

For the full RPC reference, see GenLayer Node API.

Use the GenLayer Chain RPC to add the network to a wallet like MetaMask (below) — use the GenLayer RPC for the CLI, SDKs, and any tooling that calls intelligent-contract (gen_*) methods.

Testnet Bradbury

Production-like testnet with real AI/LLM workloads.

Testnet Asimov

Infrastructure and stress testing.

Studionet

Hosted development environment — no local setup required.

Localnet

Local development with full control. Requires GenLayer Studio or GLSim.

GenLayer Chain (L2)

The underlying zkSync Elastic Chain that GenLayer runs on — the same endpoint used by the Bradbury and Asimov "Add to wallet" buttons above, since it's what wallets like MetaMask need for network validation. You typically don't need to call it directly for development — the GenLayer RPC passes through all eth_* calls — but it's the one to point a wallet at, and it's useful for direct L2 access (e.g., token transfers, contract debugging at the EVM level).

Network Comparison

Recommended Flow

1. Start on Studionet — zero setup, open studio.genlayer.com (opens in a new tab)
2. Move to Localnet — when you need full control and fast iteration
3. Deploy to Bradbury — when ready for production-like testing with real AI workloads