Kusama, often referred to as “Polkadot’s Canary Network”. It is designed to facilitate an auditing system for Polkadot. Here’s a guide to an in-depth understanding of all that Kusama entails and its relevance to the industry.
The blockchain industry continues to grow as new and better developments take the field by storm. In addition to the need to create innovations that improve the performance of the blockchain industry. It is also necessary to constantly evaluate the majority of these innovations. This helps to reduce potential weaknesses and certain vulnerabilities. What’s more, they affect most networks. To remedy such a similar challenge, the Kusama platform (KSM) appeared.
Popularly recognized as the cousin of Polkadot (DOT), Kusama is a scalable, multi-chain network. What’s more, it welcomes and experiments with new functionalities before they are deployed on Polkadot. This network is built with substrates and codes similar to those of Polkadot.
Where does Kusama come from?
The inspiration behind Kusama’s innovation lies in the vision of building a decentralized and risky platform. The latter is deployed to examine possible flaws in the process of implementing new features for Polkadot.
Kusama is often described as Polkadot’s cousin. Polkadot is hard to displace from Kusama’s history, even since its inception. The platform was created by the same team behind Polkadot. The former CTO of the Ethereum network (ETH) and founder of Polkadot set up Kusama in 2019.
Deducing rigorous research, Dr. Gavin Wood establishes the platform with the major objective of building a protocol. He improves Polkadot’s performance and also integrates several blockchains into a single network.
In 2020, Kusama starts receiving huge blockchain projects. This starts with Chainlink (LINK). As a result, Kusama’s native token (KSM) begins to explore the crypto market from the following year of its invention, 2020. Where it is expected to trade at around $1.5.
The Kusama technology base
Kusama was built to support the rapidly expanding Web 3.0 ecosystem. What’s more, its features are almost identical to those of Polkadot. It’s interesting to see how the protocol operates independently of the Polkadot network. However, it complements its growing system.
The platform features a democratic operating system. This leaves room for radical innovation. It also allows developers to initiate their specific blockchains from multiple sources and connect them to a main network.
In addition, Kusama incorporates the latest and most effective technological tools introduced by the Web 3.0 Foundation and Parity technologies. As a result, it gives developers the opportunity to use the technological tools provided. The aim is to launch their own blockchain with rapid iteration and a well-audited process before deploying them on Polkadot. In this way, Polkadot offers the best of a Parity chain and a Relay chain.
The relay chain
Kusama’s key feature is its interoperable, scalable mechanism. It distributes to the multiple and diverse blockchains provided on the network. The relay chain is simply the most essential chain in Polkadot and Kusama. It enables customization and interoperability where developers can build sub-blockchains using their logic.
The relay chain uses Parity’s technological tools and substrates to enhance its functionality. Its main objective is to provide :
- total security,
- consensus
- and inter-chain interoperability for use by network parachains.
Parachains
Kusama adopts an operating system that organizes several blockchains specified for various purposes into a network of parachains. In this way, it auctions applications such as messaging, oracles, games and e-sports, music and much more over the network.
Parachains, in turn, are a form of simplified blockchain that use and share the security provided by the relay chain. These parachains are owned by various users and also contain their own designs. They operate within the Kusama and Polkadot ecosystem and are generally maintained by collaborators.
These collaborators are responsible for controlling a complete node of parachains. They transfer the relevant information gathered from the parachains to the relay chain validators via new blocks.
During this process, the relay chain validators review and verify the new blocks before including them in the relay chain.
User roles on Kusama
The Kusama network (KSM) can be used by anyone. Nevertheless, there are a few major participants who play certain roles in its overall operations. Some of these participants are the builders and managers of the network.
As the Kusama network functions in the same way as Polkadot, it is operated and maintained by the same set of users.
Builders and technical developers
The first category of user roles on Kusama are the builders and technical developers employed on the network. These users are authorized to build and customize their applications on Kusama before deploying them on Polkadot. In this way, they can apply the same logic to the Polkadot network that has produced the best and most efficient results from their experiences on Kusama.
They are basically charged with the responsibility of building parachains and new blocks. As Kusama is a canary network, it’s preferable for developers to build parachains on Kusama first, for a test process before deploying them on Polkadot.
Protocol maintainers
This is a group of users who are responsible for maintaining and controlling platform operations. This category of users includes the collaborators who receive information from the parachains and transfer it to the validators via new blocks for a verification process.
These validators receive new blocks and add them once they have been verified. They also engage in future activities such as consensus building with other validators. This set of users is considered the network’s maintainers, as they have an impact on the activities taking place on the network.
The Kusama governance process
Kusama, with its evolving functionality, is vulnerable to certain changes, albeit under defined conditions. As such, it is governed by network participants, essentially the holders of the native token, KSM.
These governors propose certain changes to the protocol, which become a referendum for token holders, after approval by the board. Meanwhile, the governance process is open to all participants. Proposals take up to 28 days from their issue to become a referendum.
Kusama versus Polkadot
As mentioned above, the same team members are behind the innovation of both Kusama and Polkadot. What’s more, the goals of the two projects are almost identical.
Both platforms have the same code base and designs, as well as underlying technologies such as the parity system, the cross-chain mechanism, and others. They have the same governance process, as they are both open to all network participants, especially their native token holders.
However, there are significant differences between the two protocols that set them apart.
Kusama offers an experimental process for new innovations to verify their effectiveness and value. Polkadot, on the other hand, enables the direct deployment of financial applications and innovations that Kusama considers worthy of consideration.
In addition, Kusama offers a faster iteration process and a lower transaction rate for users. As such, it enables faster upgrades thanks to its modified governance system, unlike the Polkadot network which requires a longer launch period.
Using Kusama
Kusama functions as a pre-production process, as it often serves as a test process for the innovations that Polkadot will deploy. It facilitates the efficiency of potential applications. What’s more, the project connects several blockchains with different functionalities into a single core network.
Kusama token (KSM)
The Kusama Token (KSM) is Kusama’s native token. It is available to those who have received and hold the DOT token. Participants in the Kusama network who are eligible to apply for Web 3.0 Foundation grants have access to this token, usually on a large scale.
The token is used for the network’s governance process, which enables users to vote for proposed adjustments.
It is also used to designate the validators who verify parachain information before deployment.
The benefits of Kusama
The Kusama initiative offers several advantages and benefits for network users.
- Firstly, it offers a rapid iteration process, enabling developers to explore new technologies and ideas that could have a significant impact on the market.
- Secondly, it enables developers who intend to deploy certain applications and parachains on the Polkadot network to be able to predict the performance of their planned innovations, based on their experiences on Kusama, which allowed them a period of testing.
Conclusion
Kusama (KSM) works in a very similar way to Polkadot. Its functionalities are almost the same, except for some key differences, such as the fact that Kusama is a start-up company.
Kusama has proved very easy to use, which has accelerated its adoption compared with Polkadot. Its scalability, interoperability and security features were rated as excellent by network users.
