The largest programmable network.
WHAT DISTINGUISHES IT
General-purpose computation, and the largest ecosystem of applications.
WHAT IT IS USED FOR
Token issuance Decentralised finance Non-fungible tokens Governance Settlement for other networks
WHAT ITS CONSENSUS CHANGED TO
A stake-based mechanism, replacing work-based consensus.
WHAT THAT ACHIEVED
A very substantial reduction in energy consumption.
WHAT IT DID NOT ACHIEVE
Lower fees, which depend on demand for block space.
WHAT ITS FEE MARKET INVOLVES
A base fee that adjusts with demand, plus a priority tip.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE BASE FEE
It is destroyed, reducing supply.
WHAT THE ACCOUNT MODEL IS
Balances held per account, rather than discrete outputs.
WHY THAT DIFFERS PRACTICALLY
State is simpler to reason about, and contracts hold balances directly.
WHAT THE ECOSYSTEM PROVIDES
Extensive tooling, standards and libraries.
WHAT THE PRINCIPAL CRITICISMS ARE
Fees during congestion Complexity Concentration among staking providers
WHAT ITS ROADMAP EMPHASISES
Scaling through layers above it, rather than the base network.
WHAT THAT MEANS FOR USERS
Most activity moving to those layers.
