diff --git a/docs/assets/Cousins_2.png b/docs/assets/Cousins_2.png new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..2a257688c97b Binary files /dev/null and b/docs/assets/Cousins_2.png differ diff --git a/docs/learn-kusama-vs-polkadot.md b/docs/learn-kusama-vs-polkadot.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..c860e2b1ecf7 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/learn-kusama-vs-polkadot.md @@ -0,0 +1,87 @@ +--- +id: learn-kusama-vs-polkadot +title: What is the difference between Polkadot and Kusama? +sidebar_label: Comparing Polkadot and Kusama +--- + +Although they share many parts of their code, Polkadot and Kusama are independent, standalone +networks with different priorities. + +Kusama is wild and fast; great for bold experimentation and early-stage deployment. Polkadot is more +conservative, prioritizing stability and dependability. + +## What the two networks have in common + +Kusama was released as an early version of the same code to be used in Polkadot, which means they +share the same underlying architecture: a multichain, heterogeneously-sharded design based on +Nominated Proof of Stake (NPoS). Both networks also share key innovations like on-chain governance, +hot-swappable runtimes for forkless, on-chain upgrades, and Cross-Chain Message Passing (XCMP) for +interoperability. Governance on both Polkadot and Kusama is designed to be decentralized and +permissionless, giving a say in how the network is run to everyone who owns the native token (DOT +for Polkadot, KSM for Kusama). Therefore, **over time the networks will evolve independently, +converging or diverging according to the decisions of their respective communities.** + +## Key differences + +There are a few important distinctions to be made. + +![polkadot_vs_kusama](assets/Cousins_2.png) + +### Speed + +The first key technical difference between Polkadot and Kusama is that Kusama has modified +governance parameters that allow for faster upgrades. Kusama is up to four times faster than +Polkadot, with seven days for token holders to vote on referendums followed by an enactment period +of eight days, after which the referendum will be enacted on the chain. This means stakeholders need +to stay active and vigilant if they want to keep up with all the proposals, referenda , and +upgrades, and validators on Kusama often need to update at short notice. On Polkadot, votes last 28 +days followed by an enactment period of 28 days. This does not mean that the Kusama blockchain +itself is faster, in the sense of faster block times or transaction throughput (these are the same +on both networks), but that there's a shorter amount of time between governance events such as +proposing new referenda, voting, and enacting approved upgrades. This allows Kusama to adapt and +evolve faster than Polkadot. + +### Lean setups + +Teams wishing to run a parachain need to bond tokens as security. The bonding requirement on Kusama +is likely to be lower than on Polkadot. Kusama validators can also benefit from the +[1000 Validators Program](https://polkadot.network/join-kusamas-thousand-validators-programme/), +which helps them kickstart their Kusama nodes with nominations from Web3 Foundation and Parity +Technologies. For those who want to validate on Kusama _and_ Polkadot, the same setup and +infrastructure can be used for both networks. + +### Use cases + +Polkadot is and always will be the primary network for the deployment of enterprise-level +applications and those that entail high-value transactions requiring bank-level security and +stability. The initial use case for Kusama is as a pre-production environment, a “canary network”. +Building on Kusama first allows teams to test things out in a live, fully decentralized and +community-controlled network with real-world conditions and lower stakes in the event of problems or +bugs than on Polkadot. Many projects will maintain parachains on both networks, experimenting and +testing new technologies and features on Kusama before deploying them to Polkadot. Some teams will +decide just to stay on Kusama, which is likely to be a place where we see some exciting +experimentation with new technologies going forward. Projects that require high-throughput but don’t +necessarily require bank-like security, such as some gaming, social networking, and content +distribution applications, are particularly good candidates for this use case. Kusama may also prove +to be the perfect environment for ambitious experiments with new ideas and new innovations in areas +like governance, incentives, monetary policy, and DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations). +Future upgrades to the Polkadot runtime will also likely be deployed to Kusama before Polkadot +mainnet. This way, not only will we be able to see how these new technologies and features will +perform under real-world conditions before bringing them to Polkadot, but teams who have deployed to +both networks will also get an advance look at how their own technology will perform under those +upgrades. + +## Going forward + +Ultimately, Kusama and Polkadot will live on as independent, standalone networks with their own +communities, their own governance, and their own complementary use cases, though they will continue +to maintain a close relationship, with many teams likely deploying applications to both networks. In +the future, we’re also likely to see Kusama bridged to Polkadot for cross-network interoperability. +Web3 Foundation remains committed to both networks going forward, providing crucial support and +guidance to teams building for the ecosystem. + +## Explore more + +- [About Kusama](https://kusama.network) +- [The Kusama Wiki](https://guide.kusama.network) +- [Kusama on Polkadot-JS Apps](https://kusama.dotapps.io) diff --git a/website/sidebars.json b/website/sidebars.json index 74fec30e6ec5..0f60d639b95c 100644 --- a/website/sidebars.json +++ b/website/sidebars.json @@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ "type": "subcategory", "label": "Polkadot Comparisons", "ids": [ + "learn-kusama-vs-polkadot", "learn-comparisons-ethereum-2", "learn-comparisons-cosmos", "learn-comparisons-dfinity",