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Dogecoin Is Getting Apps as DogeOS Opens Its Public Testnet
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- DeepHorus
DogeOS opened the public testnet for its Dogecoin application layer on September 30, aiming to bring programmable apps to the meme-born cryptocurrency. A testnet is a trial network where developers test applications before real money is involved. Fees on the testnet are paid in DOGE. No mainnet launch date has been set.
Jackson Palmer and Billy Markus created Dogecoin in 2013 as a joke, functioning as a peer-to-peer digital currency. It has since grown into a multi-billion dollar network and a serious investment for some deep-pocketed holders. DogeOS, founded by the team behind the MyDoge wallet, wants to add what Ethereum is known for: apps. Dogecoin remains the ledger while DogeOS builds software on top of it.
DogeOS calls itself an application layer rollup network on Dogecoin, running on a zkVM that generates cryptographic proofs transactions are valid. It is also EVM-compatible, so smart contracts, wallets and tools built for Ethereum work there too. The project runs as a separate layer rather than changing the coin itself.
The faucet hands out 42.069 test DOGE per day. Teams already building include Superposition Finance, a lending protocol, and Derps, a perpetual exchange with no expiry date. USDoge is a CDP stablecoin minted against locked collateral, while Snag is developing a prediction market aggregator. Mini-game publisher PlaysOut plans about 15 Doge-themed casual games by the end of 2025.
DogeOS founder and CEO Jordan Jefferson framed the launch as "the beginning of Dogecoin's evolution from asset to ecosystem." Timothy Stebbing, director of the Dogecoin Foundation, said "L1 ledger purity must stay intact while we introduce utility one layer above." His caution reflects how slowly Dogecoin changes: the team submitted a July 2025 proposal for zero-knowledge proofs on the base layer. Dogecoin has no formal on-chain governance, so changes need contributor review, security audits and miner signaling.
The push comes as Dogecoin has fallen about 75% from its all-time high and remains in a confirmed bearish trend, despite multiple Dogecoin ETFs launching. Still, no date has been announced for the mainnet, the live version that would run with real money. For now, the testnet is the only venue where the new apps can be tried.
