Katana
Katana is a blazingly fast Starknet sequencer built for onchain game developers and appchain builders, focusing on rapid iteration and flexible deployment models.
Architecture Overview
Katana follows a modular, layered architecture with key components:
Backend: Manages block processing and sequencer state coordination.
Block Producer: Handles block creation with configurable mining strategies.
Executor Factory: Creates Cairo executors using Starknet's Blockifier.
Storage Provider: Abstracts database access using Merkle Patricia Tries via Bonsai.
Transaction Pool: Multi-stage validation pipeline from submission to block inclusion.
RPC Server: Provides standard Starknet APIs plus dev-specific endpoints.
Why Katana?
Developer-First: Tooling, flexible configuration, extensive APIs, and hot reloading.
State Forking: Fork existing networks at any block for testing against live contracts.
Multi-Settlement: Designed for Starknet settlement (L3 model) or sovereign operation.
Cairo Native: Optional ahead-of-time compilation for significant performance gains.
Getting Started
Quick Start
Start a local development sequencer with pre-funded accounts and instant mining:
katana --dev --dev.no-fee
This launches Katana in development mode with:
- An RPC server at
http://localhost:5050
- 10 pre-funded accounts
- Instant block mining
- Gas fees disabled
Production Configuration
For production appchain deployments, use persistent storage and custom configuration:
katana --db-dir ./katana-db --config katana_prod.toml
Common production scenarios:
# Fork from Starknet mainnet at block 1000000
katana --fork.provider https://api.cartridge.gg/x/starknet/mainnet --fork.block 1000000
# Custom mining interval (every 10 seconds)
katana --block-time 10000 --db-dir ./katana-db
Installation
Katana can be installed via dojoup
, our dedicated package manager:
curl -L https://install.dojoengine.org | bash
# Restart your terminal
dojoup install
Installing with asdf
If you prefer to install with the asdf
version manager:
asdf plugin add katana https://github.com/dojoengine/asdf-katana.git
asdf install katana latest
Building from Source
If you prefer to build from source:
git clone https://github.com/dojoengine/katana
cargo install --path ./katana/bin/katana --locked --force
Next Steps
- Development Features: Explore mining, storage, forking, and contract deployment
- Configuration Guide: Learn about TOML configuration files and advanced options
- CLI and RPC Reference: Complete reference for commands and API endpoints
- Advanced Features: Understand execution, messaging, and settlement