generated: '2026-07-19'
method: searched
source: https://docs.polkadot.com/apps/get-started/get-testnet-tokens/, https://faucet.polkadot.io/,
  live probes 2026-07-19
summary: >-
  Kusama itself is not a sandbox. It is the canary network — real KSM, real economic value, real
  slashing — deliberately positioned as "expect chaos" rather than "expect a safety net". Nothing on
  Kusama is reversible or free. The genuine test surfaces sit beside it: the Westend test network for
  live multi-party testing, and Chopsticks for forking Kusama state locally.
kusama_is_not_a_testnet:
  warning: >-
    A recurring integration mistake is treating Kusama as Polkadot's testnet because it is cheaper. It is
    not. KSM has market value, transactions are irreversible, validators are slashed for real, and
    governance executes faster than on Polkadot — meaning breaking runtime upgrades land here first and
    with less notice. Test on Westend or a local fork; use Kusama for pre-production validation under
    real conditions, accepting real loss.
  chain_type: 'Live (confirmed via system_chainType on 2026-07-19 — the node self-reports "Live", not
    "Development" or "Local")'
  token: KSM
  token_decimals: 12
  ss58_prefix: 2
  faucet: none — KSM must be acquired on the open market
test_networks:
- name: Westend
  role: The Polkadot ecosystem's long-lived, permanent test network. Closest environment to Kusama/Polkadot
    runtime behavior without real value.
  rpc: https://westend-rpc.polkadot.io/
  websocket: wss://westend-rpc.polkadot.io
  verified: 'Live probe 2026-07-19 — system_chain returned "Westend".'
  token: WND
  token_value: none (test tokens, no market value)
  faucet: https://faucet.polkadot.io/
  faucet_docs: https://docs.polkadot.com/apps/get-started/get-testnet-tokens/
  reset_policy: Not reset on a schedule; long-lived state.
- name: Paseo
  role: Community-run test network mirroring Polkadot runtime, positioned for dApp developers who want
    Polkadot-like (rather than bleeding-edge) behavior.
  verified: false
  note: >-
    Listed for completeness because it is widely referenced in ecosystem docs, but no public RPC endpoint
    was reachable at probe time on 2026-07-19 (the endpoints tried returned 503 or did not resolve).
    Resolve a current endpoint from the Polkadot docs before relying on it.
local_testing:
- name: Chopsticks
  purpose: Fork live Kusama state into a local node and replay or dry-run against it. The standard way
    to test an extrinsic or a runtime upgrade against real Kusama state without spending KSM.
  repository: https://github.com/AcalaNetwork/chopsticks
  verified: 'Repository reachable 2026-07-19 (HTTP 200).'
  capabilities:
  - Fork Kusama at a chosen block and run a local node with that state.
  - Time travel — advance blocks, skip eras, simulate scheduled governance enactment.
  - Override storage values to construct scenarios that cannot be reached organically.
  - Dry-run extrinsics against forked real state.
  note: Used in substrate-api-sidecar's own test suite via @acala-network/chopsticks-testing.
- name: polkadot node in development mode
  purpose: A single-node throwaway chain with pre-funded well-known development accounts.
  command: polkadot --dev
  note: The --dev accounts (Alice, Bob, Charlie, ...) are well-known keypairs. They exist ONLY on
    development chains. Never fund or use a well-known dev account on Kusama — the private keys are
    public and any balance sent to one is immediately claimable by anyone.
dry_run_and_simulation:
  description: Kusama exposes first-class simulation, which substitutes for much of what a hosted sandbox
    would otherwise provide.
  endpoints:
  - name: system_dryRun
    transport: JSON-RPC
    description: Execute an extrinsic against current state without submitting it, returning the dispatch
      outcome.
    note: An unsafe RPC method — typically disabled on public endpoints; available on your own node.
  - name: system_dryRunAt
    transport: JSON-RPC
    description: Dry-run against a specific historical block.
  - name: payment_queryInfo
    transport: JSON-RPC
    description: Estimate the fee and weight of an extrinsic before submitting. Available on the public
      endpoint.
  - name: payment_queryFeeDetails
    transport: JSON-RPC
    description: Detailed fee breakdown (base, length, weight, tip components).
  - name: POST /transaction/dry-run
    transport: Sidecar REST
    description: Dry-run a signed extrinsic over HTTP.
  - name: POST /transaction/fee-estimate
    transport: Sidecar REST
    description: Estimate fees for a signed extrinsic over HTTP.
  xcm_simulation:
  - GET on the XCM debug/preview surface documented at
    https://docs.polkadot.com/chain-interactions/send-transactions/interoperability/debug-and-preview-xcms/
  - XCM fee estimation at
    https://docs.polkadot.com/chain-interactions/send-transactions/interoperability/estimate-xcm-fees/
local_sidecar:
  description: The REST API in this repo can be run locally against any chain, including a Chopsticks
    fork of Kusama.
  command: SAS_SUBSTRATE_URL=ws://localhost:8000 npx @substrate/api-sidecar
  default_bind: 127.0.0.1:8080
  source: https://github.com/paritytech/substrate-api-sidecar/blob/master/README.md
test_credentials:
  api_keys: none — the API is unauthenticated, so there is no test-vs-live key concept
  test_key_prefixes: not applicable
  test_cards: not applicable
  note: >-
    The test-vs-live distinction in this ecosystem is the CHAIN you point at, not a credential mode.
    Switching from test to production means changing the RPC URL and using a funded, real keypair.
    Guard for it by asserting system_chain returns "Kusama" before executing any write path.