Kusama
What is Kusama?
Kusama is an independent blockchain network created by the Polkadot team. It uses the same codebase as Polkadot and acts as a launchpad for new technologies, allowing developers to test upgrades, experiment with governance, and deploy applications in a live environment.
But Kusama is not just a testnet. It has its own community, its own native token (KSM), and a full governance system. Many projects choose to launch on Kusama first to move faster and gather feedback before going live on Polkadot.
How does Kusama work?
Kusama shares Polkadot’s core infrastructure, including multichain support, onchain governance, and forkless upgrades. The main difference is speed. Kusama has shorter governance timelines and a more flexible launch process, which makes it ideal for fast-paced innovation.
Developers can build rollups, propose runtime upgrades, and test economic incentives in a live setting. This gives teams valuable insight and resilience before scaling to the more stable Polkadot network.
Why does Kusama matter for Polkadot and Web3?
Kusama plays a critical role in Polkadot’s broader ecosystem. It helps new ideas evolve in public before they reach Polkadot, reducing risk and increasing technical confidence. It also supports the Web3 values of open experimentation, transparency, and community participation.
When was the Kusama network launched?
Kusama launched in August 2019, ahead of Polkadot, as a live proving ground for the network’s core technology. It was the first real-world implementation of Substrate (now the Polkadot SDK) and allowed developers to test governance, staking, and rollup functionality before those features went live on Polkadot.
Who uses Kusama?
Kusama is used by developers, researchers, startups, and even established Web3 teams who want to move fast, test in production, or experiment with new features. It's also home to an active community that governs the network, proposes upgrades, and supports emerging projects. Some teams launch exclusively on Kusama, while others use it as a proving ground before deploying to Polkadot.