Blockchain Comparision

The Comparison Table

In the following table, I compare the properties of some blockchains. It is intended to provide an overview and help me decide which blockchains I should explore further. The table was created on March 2, 2024, by ChatGPT. The selection of blockchains is based on market capitalization, from Bitcoin (BTC) to Polkadot (DOT), these are the twelve blockchains with the highest market capitalization. Currencies that rely on smart contracts, such as Lido Staked Ether (STETH) or stablecoins like USDT, are not considered.

Additionally, I have included some less capitalized blockchains because they pursue particularly interesting approaches:

1. ATOM: Cosmos is known for its Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC), allowing different blockchains to communicate and exchange values.
2. MON: Monero is known for its strong emphasis on anonymity and privacy in transactions through the use of advanced encryption methods such as ring signatures and stealth addresses.
3. ALGO: Algorand offers high scalability and fast transaction speeds through its unique Pure Proof of Stake (PPoS) consensus model, which also contributes to higher energy efficiency.
4. XTZ: Tezos is notable for its unique on-chain governance model, allowing the community to vote on protocol changes without requiring a hard fork.
5. ZEC: Similar to Monero (MON), Zcash focuses on privacy, but it uses other technologies (e.g., zk-SNARKs) to ensure the anonymity of transactions.

Criteria for Blockchains

In my view, the most important aspect of a blockchain is primarily how independent it is from individual companies or persons, how well it is protected from government interventions, and privacy protection measures. The second important criterion is the spread, hence the sorting by market capitalization. The more widespread a blockchain, the more it serves as an exchange for an alternative currency and the more likely its long-term survival. In addition to the spread, the level of transaction fees is relevant to establish itself as an alternative currency; payments should be fast and cheap, as independent as possible from the currency’s value. And finally, the last criterion is the availability of capabilities like Smart-Contracts or the interoperability between blockchains, enabling entirely new applications, such as trust without intermediaries and completely decentralized, uncontrolled, and free trading platforms.

Ranking and Recommendation

Based on this, I come to my personal ranking and my personal recommendation, not as investment advice but based on utility, safety, and technology:

1. BTC: Bitcoin can serve as a sustainable store of value, similar to gold, and protect assets from government interventions such as expropriation or inflation. Its wide distribution and high market capitalization make it the leading cryptocurrency in terms of independence and decentralization.
2. ETH: Ethereum is highly valued for its comprehensive support of Smart Contracts and the ability to host decentralized applications. Despite higher transaction fees, it is a central pillar in the crypto ecosystem with a strong developer community and high market capitalization.
3. ADA: Cardano offers an attractive alternative with its scientific approach and focus on safety and scalability. It supports Smart Contracts, aims for low transaction fees, and pursues a sustainable approach in the development of dApps and financial applications.
4. MON: Monero stands for strong anonymity and privacy in transactions. It offers advanced encryption methods that allow users to act without leaving traces, making it particularly interesting for users who value protection from surveillance and interventions.
5. SOL: Solana is valued for its high scalability and fast transactions. Despite some criticisms, such as questions about decentralization, it offers a cost-efficient platform for dApps and could establish itself as an alternative currency due to its strong distribution.
6. DOT, ATOM: Polkadot and Cosmos are highlighted for their ability to interoperate between blockchains. They enable the networking of various blockchains, opening the potential for new applications and strengthening the ecosystem through simplified collaboration and value transfer.
7. XRP: Despite its dependence on a company, Ripple has the potential to revolutionize international payment transactions. Its technology enables fast and cost-effective cross-border payments, making it particularly attractive for banks and financial institutions.

Are Blockchains Safe Toward Quantum Computing?

Blockchains are distributed databases that use cryptography to secure and verify transactions. They have become popular in recent years due to their ability to provide a secure and transparent record of transactions, without the need for a central authority. However, with the advent of quantum computers, there has been some concern about the potential for quantum computers to compromise the security of blockchains. In this blog, we will explore whether blockchains are safe towards quantum computing, and why this is the case.

First, it’s important to understand the basics of how quantum computers work. Quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits, instead of classical bits to store and process information. Qubits can represent both a 0 and a 1 simultaneously, which allows quantum computers to perform certain calculations much faster than classical computers. However, quantum computers are still in the early stages of development, and it is not clear when they will be able to perform certain tasks that are currently beyond the capabilities of classical computers.

One of the main concerns about quantum computers and blockchains is the potential for quantum computers to crack the cryptographic algorithms that are used to secure blockchains. Many of the cryptographic algorithms used in blockchains, such as SHA-256 and ECDSA, are based on mathematical problems that are thought to be hard for classical computers to solve, but that might be much easier for quantum computers to solve. If a quantum computer were able to crack these cryptographic algorithms, it could potentially compromise the security of blockchains and allow attackers to steal or manipulate transactions.

However, there are several reasons to believe that blockchains will be safe towards quantum computing. One reason is that many blockchains, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, use proof-of-work (PoW) algorithms to secure their networks. PoW algorithms require users to perform a certain amount of computational work in order to add a new block to the blockchain. This work is designed to be computationally intensive, and it would take a quantum computer a significant amount of time to perform the necessary calculations. As a result, it is unlikely that a quantum computer would be able to significantly disrupt a blockchain network that uses a PoW algorithm.

Another reason to believe that blockchains will be safe towards quantum computing is that there are efforts underway to develop quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms. These algorithms are designed to be resistant to attacks from quantum computers, and could be used to secure blockchains in the future. Some of these algorithms, such as lattice-based cryptography and multivariate cryptography, have already been proposed and are being tested. It is likely that as quantum computers become more powerful, these quantum-resistant algorithms will become increasingly important for securing blockchains.

In summary, while it is possible that quantum computers could potentially compromise the security of blockchains in the future, there are several reasons to believe that blockchains will be safe towards quantum computing. The use of proof-of-work algorithms and the development of quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms are likely to provide significant protection against quantum attacks. As a result, it is unlikely that quantum computers will pose a significant threat to blockchains in the foreseeable future.