Polkadot SDK

Polkadot SDK is the toolkit for building blockchains on the Polkadot network, a multi-chain platform where independent chains (parachains) interoperate and share security. Developers use it to build both the Polkadot relay chain itself and the parachains that connect to it.

It bundles the core building blocks: Substrate as the blockchain framework, FRAME for writing runtime logic as composable pallets, Cumulus for turning a Substrate chain into a parachain, and XCM for cross-chain messaging. Templates and a quickstart script help spin up an example node, and runtimes can target WebAssembly or the PolkaVM (RISC-V) backend.

Stable versions are released roughly every three months and supported for one year with patches.