Kusama Network - Polkadot's Wild Cousin

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1 Kusama - Polkadot's canary network built for speed and innovation @kusamanetwork and @Polkadot share the same codebase Kusama is an early and unaudited version of Polkadot Both networks operate as multichain, heterogeneously-sharded blockchains based on nominated PoS (NPoS)

2 While the two are closely related, Polkadot adopts a conservative approach and prioritizes reliability and stability, whereas #Kusama is wild and fast It is not a testnet but a developmental network that is extremely helpful for early-stage deployment & bold experimentation

3 A significant problem associated with #testnets is their inability to test things that require some degree of value, e.g., #governance and stakeholder voting/participation Such activities are futile as no individual is sufficiently motivated to vote on a #network with 0 value

4 For this reason, Polkadot introduced Kusama A low-value network in comparison, nonetheless an independent network that, in principle, has casualty The team believed it was imperative to test certain activities before deploying them on a high-value network like Polkadot

5 Kusama connects a network of custom-built blockchains (parachains) into one unified network To be able to launch on the network, a team needs to win a slot in the parachain auction This auction entails locking up KSM (native token) for the entire lease duration (48 weeks)

6 Kusama is up to 4 times faster than Polkadot The speed relates to the network's ability to push code faster On Kusama, it takes 7 days to vote on proposals/referenda/upgrades and 8 days to implement the change post-voting, compared to a month for each on Polkadot

7 Kusama’s staking requirements are lower than Polkadot’s, presenting lower barriers to entry for validators This equips validators to harden their infrastructure by subjecting it to stress tests in real economic conditions before they move up to Polkadot

8 Kusama launched as a pre-production environment with real incentives for Polkadot Kusama is better suited for early-stage applications because it pushes the limits and gives up robustness and reliability in exchange for speed, innovation, and experimentation

9 Developed and supported by @ParityTech and the @Web3foundation, the two networks shall remain closely related Kusama will keep supporting Polkadot’s ambition as the future of the decentralized web

10 I have made a video explaining Kusama Watch the video by clicking on the link below youtube.com/watch?v=m07pU31_chE&t=107s

11 I have also covered @polkadot and @kusamanetwork through separate articles You can read them here medium.com/coinmonks/polkadot-a-heterogeneous-multi-chain-framework-bedde620e38e

12 everythingblockchain.medium.com/polkadots-canary-network-kusama-103429442d39