Ropsten is a proof-of-work testnet launched in 2016 due to multiple issues in the old testnet and resembles the current Ethereum blockchain. Ropsten Ethereum, also known as Ethereum Testnet, as the name implies is a testing network that runs the same protocol as Ethereum does and is used for testing purposes before deploying on the main network called Mainnet.

Ropsten was attacked in February 2016 with Ropsten address swarming the Blockchain with thousands of auto generated, faulty transactions. It was revived on March 2017 with developers rewriting Ropsten Blockchain.