Kusama (KSM) is an experimental and scalable network of specialized blockchains, built using Substrate and sharing a nearly identical codebase to Polkadot.
Founded in 2019 by Gavin Wood, co-founder of Ethereum and founder of Polkadot, Kusama serves as a public pre-production environment for Polkadot, allowing developers to test and experiment with new blockchains or applications before their deployment on the mainnet.
Main features:
Relay Chain: This is the main Kusama chain where transactions are finalized. It separates the addition of new transactions from their validation, allowing for fast, low-cost transactions.
Parachains: These are custom blockchains that use the resources of the relay chain to confirm the accuracy of transactions, allowing interoperability and scalability within the ecosystem.
Decentralized Governance: KSM holders can participate in decision-making regarding upgrades and changes to the network, fostering an active and engaged community.
Utilities:
KSM Token: Used to pay transaction fees, participate in network governance, and as collateral in the staking process to secure the network.
Testing Environment: Kusama allows developers to experiment with new ideas and projects in a low-risk environment before deploying them on Polkadot, facilitating innovation and agile development.
Technical Document:
Kusama has a whitepaper located on her official website
Kusama (KSM) annual price evolution:
This is a list of the approximate price of KSM at the end of each year since its launch:
2019: $1.50
2020: $73.10
2021: $277.73
2022: $23.08
2023: $44.99
2024: $36.80 (as of December 15)
* Kusama stands out as an innovative platform that allows developers to test and refine their projects in a real-world environment before deploying them on Polkadot.
Its focus on experimentation and rapid iteration makes it an essential component for the evolution of the blockchain ecosystem *
