Kusama Dedicated Node

The Kusama network is a fairly young blockchain, established in 2019. It is closely related to the Polkadot network. The network was originally a Polkadot testnet, but over time these projects began to develop in parallel. The network uses KSM tokens. KSM tokens are used not only as a means of payment in the Kusama network. KSM tokens are also used in voting, paying for messages between Kusama network members, and staking. Users of the Kusama blockchain can either run their own Kusama node or entrust their KSM coins to one of the trusted nodes. Full KSM nodes and dedicated nodes confirm transactions and incorporate data into the blockchain. Using dedicated KSM nodes is a great way to save developers time and effort for building dApps. KSM dedicated node is a dedicated server.

Because a type of Proof-of-Stake called Nominated Proof-of-Stake (nPos) is used, Kusama mining is not possible. Instead, transactions between Kusama nodes are confirmed by trusted nodes called validators. A GHOST-based Recursive Ancestor Deriving Prefix Agreement (GRANDPA) algorithm is used to achieve consensus between Kusama nodes. A separate algorithm, BABE (Blind Assignment for Blockchain Extension), is used to add new blocks to the blockchain. The Kusama BABE algorithm is slot-based. This is done to eliminate malicious collusion between members of the network. The Kusama node leading each block is determined based on the value of the verifiable random function (VRF).

The network relies on Kusama public and dedicated nodes to validate transactions. To run a Kusama node, called a validator, you need to download software from the official Kusama website. You will also need some KSM coins to set up Stash and Controller accounts. These are special accounts required to run a KSM node.

The KSM node must meet fairly high hardware requirements. The Kusama server must have at least a 4.20 GHz CPU and 64 Gb RAM and a minimum 160 Gb SSD drive. An incorrect or insufficiently secured KSM node configuration can lead to loss of KSM tokens. Beginning users of the network are advised to connect to one of the trusted Kusama nodes, passing their coins to them for staking.

Kusama parachains are parallel chains that connect to KSM mainnet resources. Parachains are maintained by special picker nodes that maintain full KSM nodes and store the necessary information. They collect transactions in the parachains and create evidence of blockchain state changes for mainnet. To limit the load on the mainnet, Kusama parachains required slots, which are sold in public auctions. In order to participate in auctions, a certain amount of KSM coins must be blocked in a special wallet.

In addition to Kusama parachain, the network supports a variety of web3 apps, dApps, and blockchain smart contracts. The blockchain applications were first developed in Kusama testnet. Coins in Kusama testnet have no value. Only the parameters of the testnet and mainnet nodes differ, otherwise the settings of these networks are identical.

Creating dApps, web3 applications, and blockchain smart contracts for the blockchain requires Kusama dedicated nodes. Those are servers, the software for which is downloaded from the official site of the project. Since setting up a Kusama dedicated node is extremely complicated, the best solution is Kusama blockchain node as a service. In this case, the developer of applications for the network will be spared a lot of hassle of installing and configuring both the hardware and software part of the Kusama server. And the Kusama dedicated node will help to fully unleash the protocol’s potential.