Kaspa (KAS): how it works, supply and reviews
In short
- Type
- Proof-of-work Layer 1 blockDAG
- Initial distribution
- Fair launch: no premine, insider allocation or pre-sale; all coins are mined
- Risks and caveats
- There is no foundation or company that issues KAS; development is community-run and the official site is operated by KasMedia.com.
- Checked
- 31 October 2026
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Key facts
- Ticker
- KAS
- Official site
- kaspa.org
Key facts checked on 31 October 2026 against official sources.
What is Kaspa
Kaspa is a proof-of-work cryptocurrency built as a blockDAG: parallel blocks are ordered rather than discarded, which lets it run at 10 blocks per second. It was fair-launched in November 2021 with no premine; KAS is its native coin.
Network and consensus
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Proof-of-work Layer 1 blockDAG |
| Consensus | GHOSTDAG / PHANTOM ordering of parallel blocks; DAGKnight is the planned next consensus upgrade |
| Block time | 10 blocks per second since the Crescendo hardfork on 5 May 2025 (previously 1 per second) |
| Smart contracts | Toccata hardfork (30 June 2026) added L1 covenants and native ZK proof verification |
| Programming language | The reference node, Rusty Kaspa, is written in Rust and replaced the original Go node |
| Launched | Mainnet launched in November 2021 |
Supply and issuance
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Initial distribution | Fair launch: no premine, insider allocation or pre-sale; all coins are mined |
| Maximum supply | About 28.70 billion KAS (2,870,403,560,500,000,000 sompi), per the Kaspa API |
| Genesis proof | A genesis proof traces all coins back to an empty genesis UTXO set |
On 31 October 2026: 27,786,135,224 KAS in circulation (source: Kaspa REST API (api.kaspa.org), values in sompi (1 KAS = 100,000,000 sompi)).
What KAS is used for
- KAS is the native coin used to pay transaction fees and reward proof-of-work miners
- Kaspa is promoted for self-custody: KAS is bought on exchanges and moved to a wallet the holder controls
Who develops and governs Kaspa
- Developer
- Open-source community development of the Rusty Kaspa node, funded by a 100 million KAS community grant
- Founders
- Grew out of blockDAG research (GHOST, SPECTRE, PHANTOM) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and later Harvard
- Open source
- Node source code is on GitHub (kaspanet/rusty-kaspa)
- Website operator
- kaspa.org states it is operated by KasMedia.com
- Governance
- Protocol changes are specified as Kaspa Improvement Proposals (KIPs) and activated by hardforks
History
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| November 2021 | Kaspa mainnet launches as a fair-launched proof-of-work network. |
| 5 May 2025 | Crescendo hardfork raises the block rate from 1 to 10 blocks per second. |
| 30 June 2026 | Toccata hardfork activates L1 covenants and native ZK verification. |
Security and audits
- A published genesis proof lets anyone verify that the genesis UTXO set was empty, ruling out hidden premining.
- Kaspa states that DAGKnight, the next consensus upgrade, keeps transactions confirmed before a network split final.
Security incidents
Further incidents are reported by third parties (press, incident databases) but are not confirmed in the company’s own channels, so they are not listed here.
Risks and caveats
- There is no foundation or company that issues KAS; development is community-run and the official site is operated by KasMedia.com.
- Running a node at 10 blocks per second needs at least 8 CPU cores, 16 GB RAM and a 256 GB SSD.
- Wallet risks: losing a device or recovery phrase without a backup can mean losing funds.
Official links
- Website: kaspa.org
- Source code: github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa
- Developer docs: kaspa.org/build
- Research forum: research.kas.pa
- Supply API: api.kaspa.org/info/coinsupply
Questions and answers
What is Kaspa?
Kaspa is a proof-of-work cryptocurrency built as a blockDAG that orders parallel blocks and runs at 10 blocks per second.
What is the maximum supply of KAS?
About 28.70 billion KAS; the Kaspa API showed about 27.79 billion KAS in circulation on 31 October 2026.
Was Kaspa premined?
No. Kaspa launched in November 2021 with no premine, insider allocation or pre-sale, and a public genesis proof.
Who created Kaspa?
Kaspa came out of blockDAG research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Harvard and is developed as an open-source community project.
Does Kaspa support smart contracts?
Since the Toccata hardfork of 30 June 2026 Kaspa supports L1 covenants and native ZK proof verification.
Sources
- Kaspa — Home
- Kaspa — Lore
- Kaspa — HODL
- Kaspa — Build
- Rusty Kaspa — README
- Rusty Kaspa — Crescendo hardfork guide
- Kaspa API — coin supply
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