Kusama (KSM)

What is Kusama?

Kusama is like a copy of Polkadot as nearly all its codes are based on those of Polkadot. Plagiarism? No, this was done on purpose so that it will serve as a perfect platform for testing new features for Polkadot as well as vulnerabilities on the network and protocol.

Note though that Kusama is an interoperable network just like Polkadot. It is described as a “canary network” where its users or those of Polkadot can access new features under trial that are not yet available on Polkadot. This makes it a go-to destination to access new products or services that will eventually launch on Polkadot, even before they do so.

In fact, some projects choose to remain permanently on Kusama without proceeding to Polkadot, because of the reliability of the network. This is why it is regarded as more than just a testnet for Polkadot. Such projects include startups that are just coming up and need a place to grow to grow fast.

The network uses a native token known as KSM for governance which was launched in 2019 with an airdrop to DOT token holders. Since then, those who hold the token have become the main owners of the Kusama network and help to make important decisions for the development of the network.

How does Kusama work?

As earlier stated, Kusama is an interoperable network. This means that it brings different blockchains together and makes them work together by removing barriers to such possibilities using the KSM tokens. This gives developers the freedom and access to different tools and takes away the restrictions caused by the individual identities of separate blockchains.

The design also makes it very scalable and a perfect platform for future blockchain businesses, marketplaces and applications to thrive. With such characteristics, urgent and sudden upgrades can be implemented without the need for a hard fork, making it a formidable place for creating powerful projects that allows for fast movement of developers through the governance and upgrade processes.

Kusama’s design also allows new projects to develop and launch with very little conditions to facilitate the building of independent blockchains also known as parachains. The network also has a vibrant community of KSM holders who run it and decide what goes on by voting, to effect changes as you will see later. This feature ensures the continuity of the network and almost non-existent possibility of the network collapsing as is seen in more centralized networks.

Features of Kusama

Kusama has some unique features that set it apart from other blockchain projects. The following are such features.

• Scalability: Scalability is a problem that projects such as Ethereum which also facilitate development of other networks struggle with. This is why Ethereum faces such issues as high fees and network congestions. With Kusama, such issues never come up as it is designed to ensure that no congestions occur.
• Community governance: Kusama leaves the responsibility governance to KSM holders. This is a feature not seen in rival networks such as Ethereum which has been accused of being relatively centralized despite the current Proof-of-Stake algorithm.
• Interoperability: Kusama makes it possible for different blockchains to interoperate and removes barriers to cooperation between many different blockchains.
• Increased security: The fact that KSM holders are in charge of running the network makes it truly decentralized, which means it is much more secure than networks governed by fewer people. The network is also designed to remove any need for hard forks, further boosting the security.

What is the governance protocol of Kusama?

Kusama has an unique governance protocol which of course is similar to that of Polkadot. Like in Polkadot, it uses a governance protocol known as Nominated Proof of Stake. The protocol allows KSM holders to nominate validators to secure the network.

However, the governance process involves many players. These are Builders who are the developers in charge of building parachains, parathreads, bridges and block explorers and Network Maintainers (Nominators, Collators, Validators, and governance actors).

• Nominators: These are in charge of choosing credible validators for the network. They also stake their KSM holdings to secure the network.
• Collators: Kusama is a network for building parachains right? Well, the work of the collators is to maintain those parachains. They collect transaction information on the chains for decisions on new changes.
• Validators: Validators also maintain the network by validating and adding new blocks and also stake their KSM to secure the network. They also work with other validators to agree on consensus issues.
• Governance Actors: These actors decide on Kusama’s development in general. They determine how the network grows and the general future outcome of its growth. They can decide to change the programming of the network by votes. Governance actors can belong to any of three groups. These are the Referendum Chamber, Council and Technical Committee.
• Referendum Chamber: The referendum chamber is made up of all KSM holders who can propose and vote on a referendum. Members of the Referendum Chamber can also join the council if voted in.
• Council: The council members are elected by members of the council every two weeks. They are responsible for the election of the Technical Committee members. They can also decide to override and propose referendums as well as push for quick implementation of a referendum that is critical to the network.
• Technical Committee: This committee is elected by the council. It is made up of developer teams that have contributed significantly to Polkadot or Kusama. The committee’s primary role is to determine the urgency of a proposal and give it priority of implementation if necessary.

What is the main purpose the token?

• Governance: KSM holders participate in voting activities concerning the governance of Kusama network. This is a critical function that the KSM token is used for and is the basis upon which the network is run. The more KSM you have, the more weight your opinion has in governance.
• Network security: To secure the network and validate and add new blocks to the network, holders of KSM stake their tokens and risk it to ensure the network is secured. In return, they are rewarded with new tokens as an incentive to encourage other KSM holders to stake and help secure the network as well.

Pros of Kusama (KSM)

The Kusama network has quite a number of positive attributes. These attributes make it very attractive to developers and they are as follows.

• Ability to scale: One major challenge that conventional blockchains face is their inability to scale. This problem can be seen in many top blockchains such as Bitcoin, Ethereum etc. Kusama’s nature makes it able to scale and accommodate unlimited projects and that is a major plus.
• No need for a hard fork: Had forks also characterise so many blockchain projects. Many times, these come due to disputes on network upgrades and scalability such as the case with Bitcoin. Kusama is fortified against such possibilities and so hard forks are not likely to occur on the project.
• Decentralized governance: Kusama is truly decentralized in that the community of KSM holders run the network rather than a few persons.
• High security: The Kusama network is also a highly secure one, thanks to its decentralized nature which makes it near impossible for the network to be compromised. This is because a lot of parties must be convinced to attack the network, which is unlikely to happen.
• Allows developers access to different blockchains: The problem with conventional blockchains is that they are unable to interoperate and so developers cannot fully leverage the advantages of the different blockchains to come up with unique and robust products. KSM token enables them to do that, giving them more flexibility to develop with any combinations of blockchain characteristics they choose.

Cons of KSM

Since Kusama is was built almost entirely on the same codes as Polkadot, it inevitably shares in its weaknesses which are as follows:

• Competition: Kusama like Polkadot faces fierce competition when it comes to finding its place in the among smart contract and Proof-of-Stake blockchain projects like Ethereum 2.0 and Tezos. This means it has to be extremely good to beat these formidable competitors.
• May not be good for all projects: Although Kusama is more than just a testnet for Polkadot, it is still basically a testing ground for projects, some of which may not be able to thrive on it and must be moved to Polkadot.
• Parachain limitations: Kusama and Polkadot’s parachain idea sounds superior to that of Ethereum due to the scaling issues. However, the parachain model requires that for any application to be launched on Polkadot, it must already be existing on another parachain which is a challenge to developers.

In summary

Kusama is very promising because of its design which follows that of Polkadot. The network is already a hub for developers to quickly develop their own projects with little resistance and also with ease. The interoperability and scalability of the network is also a major plus for developers.

However, the network will need to work extra hard to distinguish itself, although it is already doing that. It is expected that networks like Kusama and Polkadot are the future of blockchain projects for developers.