What is this?

This chart shows the distribution of mining software versions currently active on the Kaspa network. Every time a miner produces a block, their node software embeds version information in the coinbase transaction. By aggregating this data across thousands of recent blocks, we can see exactly which software versions are powering the network's hashrate at any given moment.

Version diversity is a critical health indicator for any blockchain network. A network where 100% of miners run the same version is efficiently coordinated but potentially brittle — a single bug affects everyone simultaneously. Conversely, extreme fragmentation across many outdated versions signals poor upgrade coordination and potential consensus risks. The ideal state is a supermajority on the latest stable release with a small trailing percentage still upgrading.

Kaspa's upgrade governance relies on node operators voluntarily updating their software. Unlike some networks with formal on-chain voting, Kaspa uses a "rough consensus" model where miners signal readiness simply by running new versions. When a consensus-level change is proposed (such as the KIP-9 transaction mass changes or future DAA adjustments), developers set an activation threshold — once enough hashrate runs compatible versions, the upgrade activates. This chart lets you track that adoption in real time.

How to use this data

If you're a miner, check this chart to ensure you're running a version that the majority of the network supports. Running an outdated version after a consensus upgrade activates could result in your blocks being rejected by the network, causing lost revenue. When you see the dominant version shift, it's time to upgrade your nodes.

For investors and analysts, version distribution is a leading indicator of upcoming network upgrades. When a new version begins gaining significant hashrate share (approaching 70-80%), it signals that a consensus change is likely to activate soon. This can have price implications if the upgrade introduces significant new features like smart contracts (KIP-10), improved scalability, or economic changes.

Developers and researchers can use this data to assess network stability. A rapid, clean transition to new versions indicates a healthy and responsive mining community. Persistent fragmentation — where significant hashrate remains on old versions for weeks — may indicate communication gaps, compatibility issues with specific mining hardware, or resistance to proposed changes. This information helps protocol developers time their activation thresholds appropriately.

How it's computed

Version data is extracted from coinbase transactions in the most recent 36,000 blocks (approximately 10 hours at Kaspa's one-block-per- second rate). Each coinbase transaction contains a version string embedded by the mining software, typically in the format "kaspad/x.y.z" or the pool's custom identifier. These strings are parsed and aggregated to produce the distribution chart.

The 36,000-block window provides a balance between recency and statistical significance. It's long enough to capture meaningful hashrate distribution (even miners with smaller shares will produce blocks in this window) while being short enough to reflect recent changes. The data updates every 60 seconds as new blocks are added.

Note that some mining pools use custom coinbase strings that may not clearly identify the underlying node version. In these cases, the pool identifier is displayed as-is. Additionally, because block production is probabilistic, a miner's representation in this chart is proportional to their hashrate — larger miners appear more prominently simply because they produce more blocks in the sample window.