Kusama is a scalable network of specialized blockchains built using Substrate and nearly the same codebase as its cousin, Polkadot.

The origin of Kusama

The relationship between society and technology has deteriorated to the point where large entities routinely stretch and overstep their authority.
To counter this, Kusama was built as a risk-taking, fast-moving decentralized blockchain network. It’s a living platform built for change agents to take back control, spark innovation and disrupt the status quo.

What is Kusama?

Kusama network is an experimental development environment for teams who want to move fast and innovate on Kusama, or prepare for deployment on Polkadot.

Launched in 2019, Kusama is the brainchild of Gavin Wood, founder of Polkadot and co-founder and former CTO of Ethereum.

Kusama was built using Substrate (a modular blockchain framework), with nearly the same codebase and industry-leading multichain infrastructure as Polkadot.

Kusama provides unprecedented interoperability and scalability for blockchain developers who want to quickly push the limits of what’s possible.
Like Polkadot, Kusama is a scalable, multichain network, consisting of up to 100 independent blockchains (parachains) working in parallel and interoperating, with security provided by a Relay Chain.

Kusama is ideal for lean startups looking to move fast and iterate as it allows them to launch their custom blockchain (parachain) project with low economic barriers to entry.

KSM, the native tokens on Kusama, are used to:

• validate the network
• nominate validators
• bond parachains or parathreads
• vote on governance referenda
• reward projects that support the network

Check out more on the Kusama website, in the Kusama Wiki, and in the Kusama user guide.

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Kusama is a project of Web3 Foundation.

Read the original announcement here.