How does Cumulus relate to Polkadot? What is the difference between the two?
Can I launch a chain without Cumulus? Are there any good documentation around the interactions between the two?
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1 Answer
Probably an oversimplification, but you can think of Cumulus as a set of tools which allows you to convert a solo-chain Substrate blockchain into a Polkadot compatible Parachain.
More specifically, it provides libraries for all of the necessary parts of the Polkadot protocol necessary for Parachains to work, for example:
- Creating new parachain blocks via Collators
- Listening to the relay chain for updates
- Synchronizing upgrades between the parachain and relay chain
- etc...
These are all parts that are specific to being a parachain, so all of those things exist in the separate Cumulus repository, while Substrate focuses on just the general development of blockchains, independent of the Polkadot Protocol.
answered Feb 8, 2022 at 19:13
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1It should be said that unless you're switching out the consensus mechanism, then it's usually not too hard to turn a self-sovereign substrate chain into becoming a parachain.– SquirrelFeb 8, 2022 at 22:14
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Is it therefore fair to say that i start with substrate and when the time comes I add cumulus or do I run into problems if i don't start with cumulus from day 1? Oct 26, 2022 at 18:43