The months of May/June for the Kaspa Project have been incredible.
Ambassadors and other core team members attended three conferences and each one brought Kaspa more exposure, more fans and more investors and integration opportunities.

Here are some highlights and galleries for the latest 3 events.

A huge thanks to the Kaspa Ecosystem Foundation, Ice River and Bitmain for their support.

 

The post Kaspa World Tour USA appeared first on Kaspa.

Pushing Boundaries… Again!

On the evening of January 7th, at 8 PM UTC, another pivotal chapter in the Kaspa saga will be written in code and history with the second unveiling of Testnet 11 (TN 11). This public release is the second expedition into the new Rust codebase that brings the promise of the impossible 10 blocks per second (10 BPS) on a proof-of-work (PoW) network. The digital experiment provides an arena where developers and enthusiasts will come together to push the envelope, exploring the dynamics of the PHANTOM GHOSTDAG protocol live on the Rust programming language.

Testnet 11 is far more than a proving ground; it’s a digital recreation of the real world. Focused on simulating and stress-testing a miniature version of an entire ecosystem, a world’s worth of transactions, all anxious to settle instantly to buy their favorite snacks. Its evolution on fast-forward, where the protocol endures rigorous trials, loads of simulated throughput, real-world mining and use, all while ensuring efficiency and security against any real-world scenario.

Rusty Kaspa

Rewriting the Kaspa programming language from Go to Rust is an essential development to enhance performance and manage the complexities of the BlockDAG. This transition enables the groundbreaking achievement of 10 BPS, which allows for greater scalability and throughput. By increasing the BPS, the potential transactions per second go upwards to 3,000 TPS, as demonstrated in the highly successful first public release of TN11. The Rust programming language offers advantages such as higher efficiency and improved performance, memory safety, interoperability, error handling, and a growing crypto ecosystem and developer community.

Testnet 11 Updates

Since the first public Testnet 11 captivated the crypto world, several enhancements have been implemented to optimize network efficiency and performance. Improving high BPS Peer-to-Peer (P2P) communication, focusing on fine-tuning and orphan revalidation, is crucial for seamless network functionality under high transaction volumes.

Storage efficiency has also advanced with updates addressing the issue of quadratic writes in high BPS contexts, refining the network’s data processing and storage capabilities. These updates, along with smarter caching through dynamic data tracking and enhancements like parallel processing for block submissions, signify a considerable leap forward for Kaspa, a display of the developers’ ingenuity and insights gathered from the initial experiment. Refer to the Release Notes at the bottom of this article for a comprehensive overview of the updates.

Participating in Testnet 11

Participating in Testnet 11 is straightforward, primarily focusing on software requirements. The essential software needed is Rusty Kaspa, which acts as a portal, seamlessly connecting your system to the network. This enables synchronization with other nodes on TN 11. You have the option to run the node as it is, which is a straightforward way to participate. However, Rusty Kaspa also opens the door to additional testing features if you want to explore further.

CPU mining is the exclusive method for mining in Testnet 11, and it’s a crucial aspect of the process. By participating in CPU mining, you contribute to the TN 11’s computational strength. The advantage here is the simplicity and accessibility: you don’t need any specialized mining software or hardware to get involved. TN 11 comes equipped with its own CPU miner, making it easy for anyone to participate in this capacity. Although transaction simulation using the Rothschild tool is optional, if you decide to mine on TN 11, it’s vital to use CPU mining. This method is the designated approach for mining in the network. This simplifies and democratizes participation, enabling a broader range of users to contribute effectively and interact with the network’s features.

For hardware, a setup with at least 16GB of RAM, an 8-core CPU, and a 128GB SSD drive is recommended to handle the demands of the TN 11 environment efficiently.

Testnet 11 Instructions

Need support? Have feedback?

The Kaspa Discord #testnet channel is your go-to for troubleshooting and discussion. At the same time, #rust-rewrite offers a greater understanding of Rusty Kaspa development and updates.

Redefining the Proof-of-Work Consensus

Testnet 11’s performance is key to shaping Kaspa’s future, especially the shift to 10 BPS speeds on the mainnet. The data from these tests are necessary to tackle any needed optimizations and prepare for the mainnet to operate on Rustlang.

For a deep dive into participating and understanding the Rust rewrite, check out the Rusty Kaspa GitHub page. Remember, TN 11 is an experimental zone — expect some instability as part of the process.

The release of Testnet 11 marks a significant stride in cryptocurrency innovation, offering a unique platform for testing and fortifying the developmental foundation of the Kaspa PHANTOM GHOSTDAG protocol. It’s a critical step in the quest to push the boundaries and achieve the ultimate goal of 100 BPS.

Tip: It’s important to remember that Testnet 11 is a testing environment. It may face instability and occasional downtime due to experimentation processes. Nothing to worry about, and it’s anticipated.

Release Notes

Testnet 11 Updates

Improvement to high BPS P2P:

PRs:

• Fine-tuning — https://github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa/pull/356
• Orphan revalidation — https://github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa/pull/359
• Perfects the P2P at high BPS. Also fixes the long-standing IBD loop.

Improvements to storage efficiency:

PRs:

• Reachability refactor: https://github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa/pull/347
• Block child relation refactor: https://github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa/pull/325
• These PRs together eliminate quadratic writes in higher BPS to their respective storages, allowing the node to store block reachability and child relation data efficiently.

Improvement to caching:

PRs:

• https://github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa/pull/351
• Caches for dynamic data now track that size and adjust accordingly.
• This should prevent Out-of-Memory issues — the caches are limited to what is needed for the node to operate smoothly.

Other Testnet 11 Changes

• https://github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa/pull/357 — Parallel submit block processing — Submitting blocks can fill the message queue in higher bps, leading to serialization of processing (defeating the purpose of higher bps). This fixes that.
• https://github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa/pull/320 — Various initial fixes from issues found in the internal TN11 experiment
• https://github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa/pull/317 — Clear block template only when it’s expired.
• https://github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa/pull/311 — Add request and response ID to every p2p message and route messages accordingly.
• https://github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa/pull/356/files — Fine-tuning parameters.

Other non-TN11 Rusty Kaspa Update

Improvement to node initialization and overall health:

PRs:

• https://github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa/pull/333
• https://github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa/pull/345
• These initialize the FD limits so that the node will have the resources it needs to run.

Wallet and Metrics Overhaul

PRs:

• https://github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa/pull/360
• This is the solid foundation on which the new rust-based KNG wallet is based.

Improvements to node reachability via UPnP

PRs:

• https://github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa/pull/300
• https://github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa/pull/288
• These changes introduce UPnP, which allows more nodes to become publicly connectable. The more public nodes there are in the network, the better the interconnectivity of the network becomes.

Other changes

Covered by the release notes in https://github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa/releases/tag/v0.13.0

KASPA | KASPA WIKI | MEDIUM | TELETYPE | DISCORD | TELEGRAM

TWITTER | REDDIT | GITHUB | EXPLORER | Bubblegum Lightning

The post Kaspa on Rust: Evolving Testnet 11 appeared first on Kaspa.

The post Kaspa Pool Addition — Hiveon appeared first on Kaspa.

Poolin

Poolin has proudly announced the launch of its new PPLNS mining pool for Kaspa. Known for catering to the needs of both small-scale and large-scale miners, Poolin strives to offer an optimal user experience and promising mining rewards. By choosing Poolin, miners can rest assured that their interests are always a priority.

Reasons to mine Kaspa on the Poolin

• With the PPLNS (Pay-Per-Last-N-Shares) scheme, Poolin bases its payouts on the number of shares each miner contributes within a specified period.
• An enticing pool fee of only 0% upon launch.
• Minimum payout requirement set at a mere 100 KAS.

How to connect to the pool

• Start mining right now: https://help.poolin.me/hc/en-us/articles/17945997849881
• Details on the Kaspa pool: https://help.poolin.me/hc/en-us/articles/20256544327705

Poolin offers support with a dedicated Poolin Community Telegram: https://t.me/poolincommunity

Tip: Poolin also offers a miner hardware trading platform, equipment procurement, sales, and after-sales management, to ensure trustworthy and efficient transactions for both buyers and sellers.

KASPA | KASPA WIKI | MEDIUM | TELETYPE | DISCORD | TELEGRAM

TWITTER | REDDIT | GITHUB | EXPLORER | Bubblegum Lightning

The post Kaspa Pool Addition — Poolin appeared first on Kaspa.

ASIC?

The world of cryptocurrency mining has come a long way since its inception when enthusiasts could mine coins using their personal computers. As competition ramped up and the mining process grew more complex, specialized hardware emerged, with Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) at the forefront. With the latest rumors, hash rate increase, and the potential arrival of ASICs to the Kaspa network, it becomes even more important to closely examine their advantages and disadvantages better to understand their role within the constantly evolving crypto ecosystem.

Efficiency and Profitability

One of the most significant advantages of ASIC mining is its high efficiency. By focusing on a single mining algorithm, ASICs can deliver unparalleled hash rates and lower power consumption than GPU or CPU mining methods. This efficiency translates to increased profitability, particularly for large-scale mining operations. Greater profitability attracts more miners to the network, which could contribute to a cryptocurrency’s overall value, participation, and stability.

However, the drive for profitability can also have adverse effects. Smaller miners find it difficult to compete when large-scale mining operations amass significant portions of a network’s mining power. This concentration of mining power may lead to centralization, undermining the essence of decentralization that cryptocurrencies were built upon. Centralization also exposes networks to manipulation and control by a few influential players, diminishing the democratizing benefits of cryptocurrencies.

ASIC Resistance and Network Security

ASICs are considered the ultimate destination of Proof of Work (PoW) coins. Attempting to create “ASIC-resistant” algorithms only delays the unavoidable, as specialized hardware will eventually outperform other mining methods. Moreover, ASICs provide more stable security than GPU miners since they cannot switch between cryptocurrencies opportunistically. This is particularly important for cryptocurrencies with fast transaction confirmations.

These factors contribute to the security of blockchain networks by raising the hashing power required for a 51% attack. This increased security protects the network from bad actors seeking to manipulate the blockchain, thus fostering confidence in the system. Furthermore, ASICs’ inability to switch between networks adds a layer of continuous reliability to the mining community. Miners with ASICs have a vested interest in the specific cryptocurrency they are mining, leading to a more stable and dedicated mining community.

Despite these advantages, the specialized nature of ASICs can also be a liability. In the event of an algorithm change or the emergence of a more profitable coin, ASICs risk becoming obsolete, potentially causing significant financial losses for miners. This lack of adaptability also makes it harder for miners to diversify their mining efforts, which could be a valuable risk mitigation strategy in the volatile world of cryptocurrencies.

If ASICs become the norm for ASIC-resistant algorithms, they would have shorter lifetimes and run less efficiently. This increases the entry barrier into ASIC mining and makes mining more centralized.

Environmental Considerations and Entry Barriers

Although ASICs are more energy-efficient than other mining methods, the high concentration of mining power, especially in large-scale operations, still contributes to substantial energy consumption. In addition, as global attention to sustainability increases, the environmental footprint of ASIC mining could become a point of contention.

Another challenge posed by ASIC mining is the high entry cost associated with acquiring specialized hardware. The prohibitive costs may deter small-scale miners or newcomers from entering the mining space, limiting the diversity of participants in the crypto community. Additionally, the ASIC market is dominated by a few manufacturers, raising concerns about supply chain vulnerabilities and stifled innovation due to a lack of competition.

Challenges in Transitioning from GPU to ASIC

Ensuring a healthy transition from GPU to ASIC mining is crucial for long-term sustainability. Balancing the roles of GPU and ASIC miners can be a challenge for the cryptocurrency community. Kaspa’s rapid emission schedule, where most of the KAS are mined and well-spread by GPU miners, incentivizes miners to invest in ASICs to collect the remaining fraction of KAS. This ensures that ASIC miners are vested in the network’s success and the natural progression of hardware. High block-per-second (BPS) rates can also help make ASIC mining more decentralized, as the required hash rate for a quick return on investment is reduced.

Alternative Approaches

While ASICs have proven to be a powerful force in the mining world, alternative approaches may be taken by the community to achieve sustainable stability in Kaspa. For example, the community could consider exploring other avenues, such as optimizing algorithms for optical PoW or other innovative technologies. Diversifying the technology landscape helps foster a more resilient and adaptable crypto ecosystem, reducing the reliance on any single mining method or hardware.

In Search of Middle Ground

The impact of ASIC mining on the Kaspa network is a complex interplay of pros and cons. While ASICs have brought efficiency, profitability, and network security to the forefront, they have also raised concerns regarding centralization, environmental impact, and adaptability. Ensuring a healthy transition from GPU to ASIC mining and exploring alternative approaches are essential in maintaining Kaspa’s decentralized and democratizing spirit. As the Kaspa ecosystem continues to grow and evolve, understanding and addressing the challenges posed by ASIC mining will be crucial in shaping the network’s sustainable and inclusive future.

Tip: I’ve tried my best to keep this post unbiased, but I might have missed some angles with such a complex topic. I’m not aiming to sway your thoughts but rather to get you to think, debate, and spark active conversation in search of a resolution. To participate in the Kaspa Community discussion, please check out the Discord.

KASPA

KASPA WIKI

MEDIUM

TELETYPE

DISCORD

TELEGRAM

TWITTER

REDDIT

GITHUB

EXPLORER

Find me on the Kaspa discord — Bubblegum Lightning

The post Kaspa and the ASIC appeared first on Kaspa.

Kaspa with Flux — A Roundtable of PoW

The Kaspa Community has been invited to the first-ever Flux Proof of Work (PoW) Roundtable. This event aims to bring together experts and enthusiasts from around the globe to discuss the future of mining and PoW cryptocurrencies. Bubblegum Lightning (myself) will speak about Kaspa’s history and perspectives, engaging with other participants about the direction and potential of PoW and this increasingly important mining sector of the crypto industry.

Scheduled for Friday, April 14 at 10AM EST / 14:00 UTC on YouTube, the Roundtable discussion will provide a unique opportunity for the Kaspa Community to connect with other PoW chains and mining experts. The event aims to foster collaboration and share knowledge on advancing and improving the PoW ecosystem, ensuring that it remains a vital and sustainable part of the broader cryptocurrency landscape.

The Roundtable offers a fantastic chance to engage in productive conversations and networking possibilities. The event is a supercharged gathering of projects from various PoW chains looking to share their ideas and perspectives, promising important insights and establishing a foundation for a more connected and creative PoW crypto future.

Flux — Round Table with POW projects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Wa-2Cw9Bfo&ab_channel=FluxLabs

Tip: This is the first Flux PoW Roundtable.

KASPA

KASPA WIKI

MEDIUM

TELETYPE

DISCORD

TELEGRAM

TWITTER

REDDIT

GITHUB

EXPLORER

Find me on the Kaspa discord — Bubblegum Lightning

The post Kaspa Community to Join Flux PoW Roundtable appeared first on Kaspa.

2Miners

2Miners has launched a PPLNS mining pool for Kaspa. 2Miners strives to take care of and defend the interests of humble 1-GPU miners as well as enterprise mining farm owners. They aim for the best user experience and mining rewards. Miners can be assured that 2Miners will always protect the miner’s interests.

Reasons to mine Kaspa on the Midaspool

• PPLNS (Pay-Per-Last-N-Shares) Scheme — 2Miners pays based on the number of shares contributed in a certain period.
• Launch Pool fee of 1%.
• Minimum payment of 100 KAS.

How to connect to the pool

• Start mining right now: https://2miners.com/kas-mining-pool

2Miners offers support with a dedicated Kaspa Mining Telegram Group: https://t.me/PoolKaspa2Miners

Tip: 2Miners currently only offers a region in Europe for Kaspa mining.

KASPA

KASPA WIKI

MEDIUM

TELETYPE

DISCORD

TELEGRAM

TWITTER

REDDIT

GITHUB

EXPLORER

Find me on the Kaspa discord — Bubblegum Lightning

The post Kaspa Pool Addition — 2Miners appeared first on Kaspa.

The post Kaspa Pool Addition — Midaspool appeared first on Kaspa.

The post Kaspa Pool Addition — MagicPool appeared first on Kaspa.

Solo Mine Your Node

Solo mining is a great way to improve the Kaspa network’s decentralization while earning rewards, avoiding pool fees, and bypassing third parties. By solo mining, you have complete control over your mining process and can enjoy the full reward if you hit a block. With the upcoming release of Rusty-Kaspad and higher block-per-second throughput, solo mining will make even more sense for modest miners.

Before starting this tutorial, you need to have a synced Kaspad node. If you haven’t done so yet, please refer to the previous tutorial on how to set up a node: https://kaspacurrency.medium.com/48d1aee1c6d7

It is possible to solo mine regardless of your mining hashrate. However, even with a high hashrate, there is no guarantee that you will find a block, and you could go long periods without any rewards. With the network’s current difficulty, if you have a hashrate around 10–15 GHS or more, solo mining can be a viable option as you have a good chance of finding more than one block daily. This can be quite competitive with pool mining, as pools usually pay out rewards every 12 or 24 hours.

To estimate your expected rewards as a solo miner, you can go to Kaspa’s Discord server and type in the bot-command channel: “$mining_reward 15Ghs,” for example :

If you do not have any mining software installed, please refer to the previous tutorial (https://kaspacurrency.medium.com/877935f273f3), where I showed how to use Bzminer to mine to acc.pool

Compared to the previous tutorial, setting up the mining program for solo mining is as simple because there is usually an option for solo mining to your node. Here is an example using Bzminer for Windows again. The last lines of the Kaspa batch file are for solo mining to a node :

If your node is running on the same machine as the mining software, then you have to delete the “::” symbols and change “kaspa:0000” with your receiving address. The “solo+tcp://127.0.0.1:16110” option corresponds to where the miner will look to connect with the node. The IP “127.0.0.1” is for the local host, your machine. If this is the case, you have nothing else to change and can start the mining software.

Typically, you will have multiple rigs, and the node is hosted on one machine only. Then, you need to identify the IP of the machine hosting the node on your local network. In Windows, open a terminal prompt and type “ipconfig” Look for the line indicating the IPV4 address. Then, you can modify “solo+tcp://127.0.0.1:16110” by replacing “127.0.0.1” with the IP of your node.

Finally, Suppose you run the node on an external network. In that case, you have to open port number 16110 on the machine’s firewall hosting the node and router. How to do this depends on your network supplier/company and operating system. You also need to get your router’s remote/external IP by using this tool: https://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/open-ports/. Opening this port on your machine will make the node “public.” Other miners could connect to it if they know your node’s IP. You could also do the same to find a public node and mine to it, but that will make you rely on a third party whose node maintenance you are unsure of.

Tip: AvogHadro is a Community Helper in the Kaspa Discord. As an avid Kaspa supporter and crypto enthusiast, AvogHadro‘s knowledge and support is well respected and valued within the Kaspa Community.

KASPA

KASPA WIKI

MEDIUM

TELETYPE

DISCORD

TELEGRAM

TWITTER

REDDIT

GITHUB

EXPLORER

Find me on the Kaspa Discord — Bubblegum Lightning

The post Kaspa Solo Mining Tutorial by AvogHadro appeared first on Kaspa.