Networks
Polkadot is built on top of Substrate, a modular framework for blockchains. One feature of Substrate is to allow for connection to different networks using a single executable and configuring it with a start-up flag. Here are some of the networks associated with Polkadot or Substrate that you may want to connect to and join.
Polkadot Networks
To connect to a Polkadot network please follow the instructions for installing the Polkadot executable.
Polkadot Mainnet
The Polkadot mainnet is not released yet. Instructions will be here once the network is available.
Kusama Canary Network
The Kusama canary network is an early, unaudited version of Polkadot that is running today and holds real economic value.
Currently Kusama is built from the tip of master and is the default option when starting a node.
Run the Polkadot binary:
polkadot
and you will connect and start syncing to Kusama.
Check your node is connected by viewing it on Telemetry.
Westend Test Network
Westend is the latest test network for Polkadot. The tokens on this network are called Westies and they purposefully hold no economic value.
Currently Westend is built from the tip of master and requires a commandline flag to access.
Run the Polkadot binary with a chain option:
polkadot --chain westend
and you will connect and start syncing to Westend.
Westend Faucet
Follow the instruction here for instructions on acquiring Westies.
Check your node is connected by viewing it on Telemetry.
Substrate Networks
To connect to a Substrate public network first follow the instructions for installing the Substrate executable.
Flaming Fir
Flaming Fir is the public Substrate test network. It contains some pallets that will not be included in the Polkadot runtime.
Flaming Fir is built from the tip of master and is the default option when running the Substrate executable.
Run Substrate without a flag or explicitly state fir:
substrate --chain fir
and you will connect and start syncing Flaming Fir.
Telemetry Dashboard
If you connect to the public networks, the default configuration for your node will connect it to the public Telemetry service.
You can verify that your node is connected by navigating to the correct network on the dashboard and finding the name of your node.
There is a built-in search function for the nodes page. Simply start typing keystrokes in the main window to make it available.