Kaspa’s core node software gets a major infrastructure upgrade — here’s everything node operators and developers need to know.
The Kaspa development team has officially released Rusty-Kaspa v1.1.0, the latest version of the Rust-based node software that powers the Kaspa network. Released on March 4, 2025, by lead contributor @michaelsutton, this update represents a significant leap forward in node performance, developer experience, and long-term network stability.
While v1.1.0 doesn’t introduce a protocol-level change like the landmark 10 blocks-per-second upgrade, it delivers deep infrastructure improvements that will be felt by everyone running a node, building on Kaspa, or mining on the network.
What Is Rusty-Kaspa?
Rusty-Kaspa is the official reference implementation of the Kaspa node, written in the Rust programming language. Rust is known for its memory safety, blazing-fast performance, and low-level control — making it an ideal choice for blockchain infrastructure. Rusty-Kaspa handles everything from block propagation and transaction validation to DAG consensus and peer-to-peer networking.
When you run a Kaspa full node, you’re running Rusty-Kaspa.
What’s New in Rusty-Kaspa v1.1.0?
The development team describes v1.1.0 as “a major step forward for both node operators and integrators,” with four headline improvements driving the release.
1. New VSPC API v2 — Simpler Integrations for Developers
One of the most impactful changes in this release is the introduction of GetVirtualChainFromBlockV2, a new RPC endpoint that dramatically simplifies how exchanges, wallets, and other services integrate with Kaspa.
Previously, developers had to stitch together multiple asynchronous data flows to retrieve chain updates and transaction data. With API v2, all of that is consolidated into a single call — returning virtual chain updates alongside per-chain-block accepted transaction data at once.
Key features of the new API include:
- Incremental verbosity levels (
None,Low,High,Full) — fetch only the data you need minConfirmationCountfiltering — retrieve blocks only after a specified confirmation depth- Sender/source info and fee context — directly accessible without extra lookups
- Non-breaking — the original
GetVirtualChainFromBlockendpoint remains unchanged
In practical terms, this makes Kaspa’s DAG architecture feel much closer to a traditional single-chain blockchain when building integrations — a long-requested improvement from the developer community.
2. IBD (Initial Block Download) Catchup Improvements
The Initial Block Download process — the phase where a new or restarting node syncs with the rest of the network — has been significantly improved in this release.
The IBD and catchup flow was reworked to better handle:
- Pruning-point movement during active syncing
- Trusted body syncing in transitional states
- Recovery from unexpected interruptions
The result is a smoother, more predictable sync experience. Nodes should reach tip faster and recover from interruptions more reliably under real-world network conditions — a meaningful improvement for node operators who have experienced stalled or inconsistent sync behavior in previous versions.
3. Performance and Storage Optimizations
v1.1.0 delivers tangible speed and storage wins through two core architectural changes:
Compressed level parents — Headers and network messages now use compressed representations for level-parent data, reducing both storage footprint and network overhead.
On-the-fly higher-level relations — Rather than always maintaining higher-level relation data for all headers, the node now reconstructs this data on demand — only when needed during pruning-proof processing. This affects only a tiny fraction of the total data, but the savings are meaningful at scale.
Real-world results from contributors include:
- Up to ~3x faster header-stage IBD on some machines
- Significantly lower storage pressure, especially for archival node operators
- Reduced write overhead during normal operation
- Faster pruning work across the board
These improvements particularly benefit operators running archival nodes or nodes on HDD-based storage setups — a segment that has been historically underserved in node optimization work.
4. Pruning Proof Algorithm Refactor
The pruning proof system — a critical component of Kaspa’s scalable DAG consensus — received a significant internal refactor in this release.
The build and validation logic was reworked with guided reconstruction and cleaner per-level context handling. While this change is largely invisible to end users, it improves the correctness and long-term stability of one of Kaspa’s more complex consensus internals. It also makes the codebase easier to maintain and extend as the network evolves.
Additional Notable Additions
Beyond the four headline improvements, v1.1.0 also ships with several other notable changes:
RocksDB preset system — New storage presets are available for archive and HDD use cases, plus WAL-directory support and improved cache controls. This gives operators more fine-grained control over how the node interacts with disk storage.
Rusty Kaspa Stratum Bridge (BETA) — An in-house Stratum bridge has been released in beta, enabling miners to connect to Kaspa nodes using the standard Stratum mining protocol. This is a significant step toward more streamlined mining infrastructure for the Kaspa ecosystem.
Crescendo cleanup and consensus polish — Ongoing preparation work continues ahead of future protocol upgrades, with code cleanup and infrastructure refinements throughout the codebase.
Important Upgrade Notes for Node Operators
If you are running a Kaspa node, there are several important things to be aware of before upgrading to v1.1.0:
Database schema upgraded to version 6 — The node’s internal database schema has been upgraded. Upgrading from older versions is fully supported, but downgrading back to an older node version after upgrading may require deleting the database. Make sure you are ready to commit to v1.1.0 or newer before proceeding.
Startup confirmation required on first run — When upgrading from an older DB version, the node will require manual confirmation on startup. Automated setups can use the --yes flag to skip the prompt.
Updated Rust toolchain requirements — This release adopts edition = 2024 and requires rust-version = 1.88.0 or higher. Developers building from source will need to ensure their Rust toolchain is up to date before compiling.
Community Growth: New Contributors
v1.1.0 also marks a milestone for the Kaspa open-source community, with 10 first-time contributors making their debut in this release cycle:
@freshair18, @KaspaSilver, @Leon1777, @danwt, @x100111010, @gcpreston, @avishai12321, @Manyfestation, @LiveLaughLove13, and @Zorglub4242.
The growing contributor base is a strong signal of a healthy and expanding developer ecosystem around Kaspa.
Why This Release Matters
Kaspa’s core value proposition — a high-throughput, blockDAG-based proof-of-work network operating at 10 blocks per second — demands infrastructure that can keep pace. v1.1.0 is the kind of release that quietly strengthens the foundation beneath Kaspa’s headline features.
Faster IBD means new nodes join the network more easily. Better API design means more exchanges and wallets can integrate Kaspa with less friction. Storage and performance gains mean node operators can run leaner, more reliable infrastructure. And a more stable pruning system means the network handles growth and edge cases more gracefully over time.
None of these are headline-grabbing protocol changes — but together, they represent exactly the kind of sustained, deliberate engineering that turns a promising blockchain into a resilient, production-grade network.
How to Upgrade
The full release notes and download assets for Rusty-Kaspa v1.1.0 are available on the official GitHub release page:
👉 https://github.com/kaspanet/rusty-kaspa/releases/tag/v1.1.0
Node operators are encouraged to review the upgrade notes carefully, particularly around the database schema migration, before updating their nodes.
