Polygon zkEVM Cardona Testnet is the public Ethereum Layer-2 test network for Polygon zkEVM, offering bytecode-level EVM equivalence and using ETH as the native gas on Sepolia. It’s designed for pre-production testing of Solidity/bytecode contracts, cross-chain bridge flows, gas/performance benchmarking, and wallet/indexer/oracle integrations. For quick comparisons: block times are typically ~2–3s, average L2 gas for simple transfers is often under $0.01 (a few gwei), observed sustained TPS is in the double digits with higher burst capacity, and activity fluctuates with campaigns—check the explorer for live stats.
It is unique for its Type-2 zkEVM bytecode-level equivalence (run unmodified Ethereum bytecode and tooling) and validity-proof security that finalizes on Ethereum without 7-day challenge windows, enabling faster, more predictable withdrawals than optimistic rollups. Cardona mirrors mainnet-like parameters (native ETH gas, L1 data availability, zk proofs batched to Ethereum) so developers can benchmark realistic block time (~2–3s), low fees, and double-digit TPS while retaining Ethereum-grade security.
Polygon zkEVM Cardona Testnet uses ETH as the gas token for transaction fees. You can obtain ETH by bridging from other chains or purchasing using thirdweb Bridge, or through faucets (for testnet).
To bridge ETH to Polygon zkEVM Cardona Testnet, connect your wallet to thirdweb bridge, select your source chain, choose the token you want to bridge, select Polygon zkEVM Cardona Testnet as the destination, enter the amount, and confirm the transaction. The bridge will handle the cross-chain transfer instantly.
To build on Polygon zkEVM Cardona Testnet you can use thirdweb, which provides an easy way to build, monetize and scale your apps, games or agents. You can find detailed guides and documentation on https://portal.thirdweb.com to get started quickly.
To add Polygon zkEVM Cardona Testnet to your wallet, you can connect your wallet and click on [Add to Wallet] button at the top of the page. Alternatively, you can add the network manually using the RPC URL and chain details and add it to your wallet's network settings.
To send ETH on Polygon zkEVM Cardona Testnet, ensure your wallet is connected to the Polygon zkEVM Cardona Testnet network, enter the recipient's address, specify the amount of ETH to send, review the gas fee, and confirm the transaction in your wallet.