MT Profile picture
Mar 9 22 tweets 21 min read
🧵 on some of the major smart contract chains, their different approaches, and how HOPEFULLY (for the love of all that is holy) we are moving away from simply "X chain is superior because it did XXXX TPS on a closed environment testnet"
#Ethereum #terraluna #Solana #AVAX
As @epolynya has alluded to several times, #TPS numbers are almost meaningless now. Especially anything under 100k.

At the risk of having this thrown in my face 5 years from now, TPS is essentially solved.
This is due to many things but some reasons include:

- #modular designs (@CelestiaOrg, #ETH + #rollups, and @avalancheavax to an extent)
- Rollups, in general, and how they can somewhat "defeat" the #ScalabilityTrilemma
- @IOHK_Charles & his giga brain (ok maybe not this 😉)
So, rather than the question being "What's your TPS?"

We now care about HOW you achieve it.

And, man oh man, have I been waiting on this day.

How many #Algorand, #Hedera, #EOS, #IOTA, #BSC, #TRON, #NEO permissioned chains does one need to know that centralized=faster??
@bantg
Now, convos are switching to validator costs, the "inclusivity" of the chain (i.e. permisionless-ness), chain/state bloat, data availability, robustness, uptime, idiosyncratic vs systemic risks, interoperability risks, composability, etc.

THIS is where the fun starts
@BanklessHQ
I've covered #ETH scaling and rollups quite a bit so won't rehash here.
If interested to learn how the Merge, shards, #EIP1559, PoS, Beacon Chain, and everything else work together, check out this piece
#Ethereum #l222 @ladyxtel

mirror.xyz/dashboard/edit…
But what about the others?

Let's start with #Terra since it's quite hot lately

Terra Core is built on the #Cosmos Software Development Kit (SDK) making it interoperable with other IBC chains in the #CosmosEcosystem

It's a DPoS chain using the #Tendermint consensus protocol.
While Tendermint Core essentially ensures that transactions are recorded in the same order, across the distributed ledger, the Application Blockchain Interface (#ABCI) is the means by which developers interact with the transactions.
@CryptoHarry_
The ABCI is one of the main incentives to utilize the Tendermint Core consensus engine since it’s programming language agnostic in the sense that devs can choose to instantiate Tendermint in whichever programming language they choose.
@Remi_Tetot
Terra smart contracts use #CosmWasm technology and are written in Rust, Go, or Assembly. These contracts can execute on other IBC- linked chains.

Therefore, @terra_money and its tech is constrained to what the @cosmoshub can enable.

#CosmosEcosystem #Cosmonauts
#LUNA and #UST have performed well lately but I laid out why I think that is and why it may be temporary here
Ok, so how about @solana and #SOL?

- "Bonded" PoS
- Proof of History (#PoH) created 10x gains in TPS
- Fantastic "product" right *now*
- Deep pockets and can sleep well knowing @SBF_FTX is in their corner ( and @TusharJain_ @KyleSamani and @multicoincap )
But
- "50k TPS", while high now isn't long term
- #Solana's solution to get to 1M+ TPS doesn't exist
-High barrier to become validator
- monolithic design
- "VC chain" stigma
- Suffers under stress (uptime)
- not #EVM- compatible which puts them on an island

lotta #NGMI vibes
And #Avalanche ?
- 3 separate chains, fast finality
- #Snowman Consensus and "sub-sampled voting" are legit
- subnets increase flexibility (more VMs)
- whole-heartedly reaping the rewards of being #EVM compatible 😂
- fair to say "modular" design due to #Subnets

@Jomari_P
But #AVAX downsides:
- validator cost is outrageously high
- most of @avalabsofficial success thus far has simply been its #ETH copy and paste C-chain

That's not necessarily a problem but we've seen this before with #BSC, #TRON, #FTM, & others

It, thus far, has proven fleeting.
#Avalanche continued...

Of course, spinning up a brand new, fresh EVM chain with limited validator set makes for a great user experience.

But give it 6 years and (probably) trillions of txs. Then see what you have.

(Spoiler: higher fees and chain bloat)
At least @avalabsofficial and @el33th4xor acknowledge this unlike, say @cz_binance and #BSC, which is refreshing.

But the Avalanche "pruning" solution doesn't exist.

And they may just be waiting for #ETH to solve it 😂

- Subnets look an awfully lot like @Cosmos zones and/or sidechains. There's much to be desired there.

Especially the (unknowable) relationships/interplay between each subnet, their tokens, validators, security, etc.
@CannnGurel @jadler0
Subnets are often praised for their customizability that enables "compliance," "KYC'd actors," and "permissioned chains" which I find incredibly uninteresting.

As mentioned previously, there are already 1000s of options if you want a permissioned chain/database.
Similar to my #Terra critique, AVAX is currently being propped up by #Ethereum compatibility and $500M+ in incentives over the years with the latest #AvalancheRush news.

You can buy a lot of users that way.
Ok, this thread ate up way too much of my time. I'll stop here. I look forward to tacking on a few more like #Cosmos, #PolkaDot, #NEAR, and others when I have the time.

Finally, while critical of these projects, doesn't mean they're doomed. And I hold some of them.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with MT

MT Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @mt_1466

Mar 8
1/ 🧵
How and why "data availability (DA)" became the sexiest topic in #Ethereum land, the #l222 space, and for #rollups
2/ Pre-2021 (roughly speaking), DA for most #blockchains wasn't a concern for 2 reasons:
1) most blockchains did not have enough usage to warrant any concern
2) the monolithic approach meant that each (full) node downloaded the entire block to check for availability no problemo
3/ However, this approach has its limitations/drawbacks, and, thus, new solutions like light clients, rollups (RUs), and the modular approach were implemented.
@BanklessHQ @TrustlessState @RyanSAdams
Read 23 tweets
Feb 17
1/ Why is #blockchain scaling so controversial? From the #blocksizewars to #Alt L1s and #rollups.

Is it really that hard?!

🧵 time...
2/ Blockchains like #Bitcoin and #Ethereum strive for maximum #decentralization and #censorship-resistance while remaining totally open and inclusive networks. However, they also want to scale to accommodate billions of users.
3/ As they stand right now, their limited capacity to process transactions at the base layer (~7 and ~20 TPS, respectively) are in direct opposition to achieving that goal.

The question is “What is the best method of scaling a blockchain?” 🧐
@TrustlessState @sassal0x
Read 21 tweets
Feb 15
🧵 time...

For years, as I have discussed the value prop for seizure-resistant, non-sovereign💲like #BTC with noobies, I have always had to caveat it with "we don't think about it in the Western world too much bc our money, banking system, and law typically work well"

Well...
2/ #Bitcoin's value in the Western world has NEVER been more obvious thanks to the last ~ 2 years.

Reminder, it has ALWAYS been valuable to those less fortunate living under authoritarianism or double-digit inflation (over half the world)
newsweek.com/half-world-liv…

@gladstein
3/ Now, Westerners are getting their taste:
- 10%+ inflation for many (screw the official #CPI numbers)
- Bank accounts being inexplicably closed @haydenzadams @PeterMcCormack
- Govt freezing funds and threatening companies #TruckersForFreedom
- ~25% M2 debasement in ~2 years Image
Read 26 tweets
Feb 10
1/ Previously, I covered #L222 zk-rollup projects Starkware and zkSync but looking back, I should have begun with sidechains.

The who, what, why/why NOT, security guarantees, etc.

So, here's a 🧵 discussing sidechains generally and then a bit on #Polygon
2/ In the context of #Ethereum, sidechains are separate, Ethereum-compatible blockchains. Sidechains can be independent #EVM -compatible blockchains as well as application-specific blockchains catering to #ETH users and use cases like @0xPolygon or @Ronin_Network .
3/ Sidechains design themselves to be EVM-compatible so they can essentially copy and paste their code to easily interoperate with Ethereum and all of its infrastructure including wallets, block explorers, and more.
Read 24 tweets
Feb 10
1/ Yesterday, I highlighted zkSync.

So it only makes sense that I do the same for @StarkWareLtd and their #Ethereum rollup solutions #L222 #StarkEx and #StarkNet

Another deep-dive thread into one of the projects changing the scaling world 🧵...
2/ First, again, some high-level Pros and Cons
Pros with using Starkware products

- Increased TPS compared to ORs (~9,000+ TPS on Ropsten testnet)
- Faster withdrawals (no challenge period), enabling better capital efficiency and liquidity
- #Validiums (discussed below)
3/ Cons

- Developer UX and porting of dApps from L1 to #L2 is more challenging than OR options
- #Cairo language less popular among developers = less talent pool to build on Starkware
- With Starkware's #Validium option, there's a technical challenge in solving DA problem.
Read 25 tweets
Feb 9
1/ CT giving waaay too much shine to these @bitfinex idiots.

Sure, reality TV is fun (I guess) but instead, I’ll try to send the spotlight to a more deserving group: @zksync @the_matter_labs @gluk64

Thread time 🧵...
2/ To begin, some high-level Pros and Cons of zkSync’s approach to zk-rollups (ZKs)

Pros
- Less data contained in each transaction increases throughput and decreases fees (vs L1)
- No withdrawal periods and faster finality
- Inherent (and cheap) privacy (improvements)**
3/ Cons

- Generalized smart contract support (similar to @StarkWareLabs #StarkNet ) is not live or production-ready
- Initial trusted setup ceremony scares some, introduces trust
- New, less battle-tested cryptography **

@0xangelfish
Read 26 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(