karlsend

README

Karlsend

Karlsend is the reference full node Karlsen implementation written in Go (golang). It is a blockDAG as a proof-of-work cryptocurrency with instant confirmations and sub-second block times with a work-in-progress (WIP) attempt to implement smart contracts as a side-chain. It is based on the PHANTOM protocol, a generalization of Nakamoto consensus.

Overview

Karlsen is a fork of Kaspa introducing a GPU-centric fork as a solution to the dominance of ASIC mining farms, aiming to empower small-scale miners and enhance decentralization. We focus on bridging the gap between blockchain technology, decentralized finance and the real world of payment systems and traditional finance.

With Kaspa, our approach is one of friendly cohabitation. We operate under the same protocol, enjoy similar advantages, and face unidentified issues. Any significant improvements that need to be made in the primary codebase will be shared back.

Small Scale Miners

The Karlsen Network team believes in decentralization and small-scale miners. We will ensure long-term GPU-friendly mining.

Hashing Function

We initially started with kHeavyHash and blake3 modifications on-top. This algorithm is called KarlsenHashv1.

KarlsenHashv1 is currently used in mainnet and can be mined using the following miners maintained by the Karlsen developers:

• Built-in CPU miner from karlsend
• Karlsen GPU miner as reference implementation of kHeavyHash with blake3.

The following third-party miners are available and have added KarlsenHashv1:

• lolMiner
• Team Red Miner
• SRBMiner
• BzMiner
• Rigel
• GMiner

KarlsenHashv2 will become active via hardfork at DAA score 26.962.009. It is based on FishHash written from scratch in our Golang node implementation. It is FPGA/ASIC resistent. It is the worlds first implementation of FishHash with Golang in mainnet in a 1bps blockchain.

KarlsenHashv2 is currently used in mainnet and can be mined using the following miners maintained by the Karlsen developers:

• Built-in CPU miner from karlsend
• Karlsen GPU miner as bleeding edge and unoptimized reference implementation of KarlsenHashv2. Please follow the steps in the README.md to generate a DAG file.

The following third-party miners are available and have added KarlsenHashv2:

• SRBMiner

DAG Generation

To start mining using the built-in CPU miner it needs a pre-generated DAG file. KarlsenHashv2 miner uses a 4GB DAG for efficient mining. It generates this DAG with 8 CPU threads and saves it as hashes.dat for faster subsequent runs.

• First Run: Generates a 4GB DAG using 8 CPU threads. This may take time depending on your computer. Saves the DAG as hashes.dat for future use.
• Next Runs: Loads hashes.dat to skip DAG generation, speeding up startup.

If you need to regenerate the DAG, delete hashes.dat and run the karlsenminer again.

Smart Contracts

The Karlsen Network team is launching an R&D project to connect the Karlsen blockchain with other blockchain ecosystems using a smart contract layer based on the Cosmos SDK.

This initiative aims to enhance interoperability, efficiency, and innovation in the blockchain space. By leveraging the Cosmos SDK's advanced features, we'll facilitate seamless transactions across different networks, offering new opportunities for users and developers.

Cosmos Hub

Cosmos is a highly attractive ecosystem due to its innovative approach to blockchain interoperability, scalability, and usability. By enabling different blockchains to seamlessly communicate and exchange value, Cosmos opens up vast opportunities for businesses and developers to build and deploy decentralized applications that can operate across multiple blockchain environments. This interoperability fosters a more connected and efficient digital economy, potentially driving adoption and usage across various sectors, including finance, supply chain, and beyond.

By connecting to Cosmos, we will open the door of a web3 ecosystem connected to a complete network of other blockchain project, making Karlsen Network more competitive and adaptable in the rapidly evolving landscape of decentralized technologies.

Karlsen Sidechain

The creation of the Karlsen sidechain with fast transaction times, smart contract capabilities, and a dual coin model, designed to integrate seamlessly with the Cosmos ecosystem and utilize the Karlsen (KLS) across all interconnected platforms, signifies a strategic advancement in Karlsen Network.

This sidechain will not only enable quick and efficient inter-blockchain transactions but also support complex decentralized applications through its smart contract functionality.

The ability to use Karlsen (KLS) across the entire ecosystem will ensure a unified and streamlined user experience, promoting greater adoption and utility within the Cosmos network. This sidechain aims to enhance scalability, foster innovation, and provide a flexible and user-centric blockchain solution that meets the diverse needs of developers, users, and investors within the Cosmos ecosystem.

Installation

Install from Binaries

Pre-compiled binaries for Linux x86_64 and aarch64, Windows x64 and macOS x64 as universal binary can be downloaded at: https://github.com/karlsen-network/karlsend/releases

Build from Source

Go 1.19 or later is required. Install Go according to the installation instructions at http://golang.org/doc/install. Ensure Go was installed properly and is a supported version:

go version

Run the following commands to obtain and install karlsend including all dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/karlsen-network/karlsend
cd karlsend
go install . ./cmd/...

Karlsend (and utilities) should now be installed in $(go env GOPATH)/bin. If you did not already add the bin directory to your system path during Go installation, you are encouraged to do so now.

Getting Started

Karlsend has several configuration options available to tweak how it runs, but all of the basic operations work with zero configuration.

karlsend

Discord

Join our discord server using the following link: https://discord.gg/ZPZRvgMJDT

Issue Tracker

The integrated github issue tracker is used for this project.

Documentation

The documentation is a work-in-progress.

License

Karlsend is licensed under the copyfree ISC License.

Documentation

Overview

Copyright (c) 2023-2024 The Karlsen developers Copyright (c) 2018-2019 The kaspanet developers Copyright (c) 2013-2018 The btcsuite developers Copyright (c) 2015-2016 The Decred developers Copyright (c) 2013-2014 Conformal Systems LLC. Use of this source code is governed by an ISC license that can be found in the LICENSE file.

Karlsend is a full-node karlsen implementation written in Go.

The default options are sane for most users. This means karlsend will work 'out of the box' for most users. However, there are also a wide variety of flags that can be used to control it.

Usage:

karlsend [OPTIONS]

For an up-to-date help message:

karlsend --help

The long form of all option flags (except -C) can be specified in a configuration file that is automatically parsed when karlsend starts up. By default, the configuration file is located at ~/.karlsend/karlsend.conf on POSIX-style operating systems and %LOCALAPPDATA%\karlsend\karlsend.conf on Windows. The -C (--configfile) flag can be used to override this location.