HardKAS

HardKAS is a Kaspa-native developer operating environment and deterministic workflow environment. It provides a local-first, deterministic environment for planning, verifying, and debugging transactions and protocol-level integrations on the Kaspa BlockDAG.

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Published Packages

Package	Version	Description
@hardkas/sdk		Full developer SDK for Kaspa
@hardkas/cli		Command-line interface for BlockDAG operations
@hardkas/core		Core primitives and types

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Important

Status: 0.2.2-alpha / Developer Preview HardKAS is currently in Developer Preview. Features, APIs, and artifact formats are subject to evolution.

Caution

Not Production Custody Software. HardKAS is a developer infrastructure tool. It is NOT intended for high-value mainnet custody. Always use dedicated, hardware-backed core wallets for production assets. See the Security Model for details.

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Project Status

HardKAS is currently in Developer Preview (0.2.2-alpha).

The architecture is stabilizing, but users should be aware:

• APIs may change: Commands and SDK interfaces are not yet finalized.
• Artifact formats may evolve: Schema stability is a goal but not guaranteed.
• Simulation is a light-model: The localnet uses a deterministic light-model of the BlockDAG, not a full consensus implementation.
• Encrypted Keystore: Intended for developer workflows and local simulation only.
• RPC Integrations: Health and diagnostic features are still hardening.

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What HardKAS IS vs. IS NOT

HardKAS IS:

• Developer Tooling: Built for high-velocity local iteration.
• Deterministic Simulation: Provides reproducible transaction and state models.
• Transaction Planning: Formalizes the lifecycle of a transaction from plan to receipt.
• Replay/Debugging: Enables deterministic tracing of past simulated events.
• Artifact Verification: Strict auditing of transaction integrity and semantics.
• Localnet Orchestration: Simplifies managing kaspad nodes and simulated states.
• RPC Diagnostics: Comprehensive network and node health tools.
• Early L2 Integration: Foundational support for Igra EVM integration workflows.

HardKAS IS NOT:

• Production Custody: Not a secure wallet for large-scale assets.
• Full Node Implementation: HardKAS orchestrates nodes but is not one itself.
• Consensus Implementation: Does not replace the official kaspad consensus logic.
• Full GHOSTDAG/DAGKnight Parity: The light-model simulates effects, not the full consensus protocol.
• Trustless Bridge System: Pre-ZK bridge integrations rely on multisig/MPC assumptions.
• EVM on L1: There is no EVM execution on the Kaspa L1 layer.

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Architecture Honesty

HardKAS maintains strict boundaries between different architectural layers:

Kaspa L1 (BlockDAG)

• Model: UTXO-based BlockDAG.
• Responsibility: Sequencing and Data Availability.
• Execution: No EVM or programmable account-based state on L1.

Igra L2 (Execution)

• Model: EVM-compatible, account-based state.
• Status: Separate execution environment for programmable logic.
• Support: HardKAS provides early integration preflights for Igra deployments.

Bridge Realities

• Pre-ZK: Bridge modeling assumes trusted multisig or committee-based MPC assumptions.
• Target: Move toward ZK-based trustless models as the protocol matures.

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stable

• Deterministic Artifacts: Canonical schemas for Plans, SignedTx, and Receipts.
• Replay Invariants: Reproducible simulated transaction outcomes.
• Snapshot Hashing: Verifiable state snapshots for localnet persistence.
• Semantic Verification: Deep auditing of fee correctness and lineage.
• Encrypted Dev Keystore: Argon2id/AES-256 protected local keys.
• RPC Resilience: Automated retries, health scoring, and diagnostics.

preview

• Igra L2 Integration: Early contract deployment preflights.
• Bridge Modeling: Modeling cross-chain state transitions.
• Lineage Extensions: Advanced provenance tracking across complex flows.

research

• DAG Light-Model: High-level simulation of reorgs and conflict handling.
• Anomalies Engine: Deep DAG state introspection.

Planned

• Multi-node Localnet: Orchestrating local clusters for networking tests.
• Visual Trace Explorer: Browser-based visualization of BlockDAG traces.
• SilverScript Tooling: Native support for advanced Kaspa script auditing.
• vProg Tooling: Verified protocol-aware programming utilities.
• Fuzzing Infrastructure: Automated mutation testing for artifact resilience.

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Design Philosophy

• Local-First: High-fidelity development should not require an internet connection.
• Simulation-First: Validate logic in a deterministic environment before touching the wire.
• Deterministic by Default: Avoid ambient state; all operations should be reproducible.
• Explicit over Implicit: Clear artifact boundaries and visible metadata.
• Replay-Safe: All transaction logic must be audit-ready and replay-verifiable.
• Artifact-First: Comprehensive observability and diagnostic discipline.
• No Protocol Inflation: No claims of protocol features (like L1 smart contracts) that do not exist.

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Quickstart

Get started with HardKAS in seconds.

1. Install the CLI globally

pnpm install -g @hardkas/cli

2. Initialize your project

hardkas init

3. Start the local node

hardkas node start

4. Manage Accounts

hardkas accounts list

5. Send a Transaction (Simulated)

hardkas tx send --from alice --to bob --amount 10

6. Run Tests

hardkas test

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Local Development (Monorepo)

If you want to contribute to HardKAS or run the examples from source:

1. Clone & Build

git clone https://github.com/KasLabDevs/HardKas.git
cd Hardkas
pnpm install
pnpm build

2. Initialize a project

hardkas init

3. Start the node

hardkas node start

4. Manage Accounts

hardkas accounts list

5. Send a Transaction (Simulated)

hardkas tx send --from alice --to bob --amount 10

6. Run Tests

hardkas test

7. Verify Artifacts

hardkas artifact verify .hardkas/artifacts/ --recursive

Run examples

pnpm example:ci              # CI workflow demo
pnpm example:dag-reorg        # DAG reorg simulation
hardkas example list     # See all available examples

CLI Reference

hardkas --help           # All command groups
hardkas tx --help        # Transaction commands
hardkas artifact --help  # Artifact verification
hardkas rpc --help       # RPC diagnostics

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HardKAS is released under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for the full text.

Alpha Disclaimer

The project is provided as developer infrastructure tooling in active alpha development WITHOUT WARRANTY of any kind, express or implied.

• Developer Tooling: HardKAS is intended for local-first simulation and developer workflows.
• Not for Production Custody: It is NOT production-grade custody software.
• Key Handling: Users are solely responsible for the handling and security of their mainnet private keys.
• Encrypted Keystore: The local encrypted keystore is designed for developer convenience in simulation environments, not for high-value asset protection.

By using HardKAS, you acknowledge that you understand the risks associated with alpha-stage infrastructure tooling.