The Web3 house is huge, and it’s rising greater and greater day-after-day. And never solely are we seeing new decentralized purposes (dapps) pop up often, however new blockchains constantly emerge as effectively. So, what number of blockchains are there? And what are the various kinds of blockchains? Be part of us on this article as we tackle each of those queries to offer readability into the ever-expanding panorama of Web3!
Overview
We’ll kickstart immediately’s article by answering the query: ”What number of blockchains are there?”. From there, we’ll dive straight into the various kinds of blockchains. In doing so, we’ll discover what they’re, why they exist, and canopy some distinguished examples for every kind. Subsequent, we’ll additionally discover various kinds of blockchains for builders. To go together with that, we’ll prime issues off by introducing you to the best method to construct blockchain purposes: Moralis’ industry-leading Web3 API suite!
Moralis’ Web3 APIs are the last word instruments for those who’d wish to get into blockchain app improvement. With our industry-leading interfaces, you possibly can construct every part from block explorers to NFT video games very quickly.
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Additionally, do you know you could join with Moralis without cost? It solely takes a few clicks, and also you’ll achieve fast entry to all our premier Web3 improvement instruments so you possibly can construct dapps each quicker and smarter!
How Many Blockchains Are There?
There’s a large number of blockchain networks in existence, and a few distinguished examples embrace Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and many others. Moreover, the blockchain house is constantly rising as quite a few organizations and tasks develop their very own chains to handle particular wants.
With that mentioned, what number of blockchains are there?
Because of the ever-growing state of the Web3 house, the precise rely of blockchains is difficult to pinpoint. Nonetheless, estimates counsel that the variety of present blockchains is a minimum of 1,000!
What Are the Totally different Sorts of Blockchains?
There are 4 fundamental forms of blockchain networks, together with public blockchains, non-public blockchains, hybrid blockchains, and consortium blockchains. Every kind has distinctive advantages, drawbacks, and very best use instances. As such, let’s briefly discover them one after the other, beginning with public blockchains:
![art image - blockchain connected to blocks](https://moralis.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/art-image-blockchain-connected-to-blocks.jpeg)
Public Blockchains: Public blockchains are permissionless, which means they’re absolutely decentralized and open for anybody to take part. Some of these networks are mostly used for exchanging and mining cryptocurrency.Non-public Blockchains: Non-public blockchains are permissioned, which means that only some choose individuals can take part within the community. These networks are sometimes managed by a company or an organization, which determines who’s granted entry to learn and write privileges.Hybrid Blockchains: Hybrid blockchains are networks that mix options of each private and non-private chains. These networks are managed by single entities. Nevertheless, they will determine who has entry to particular information saved on the community and what data will likely be open to the general public. Consortium Blockchains: Consortium blockchains are fairly just like hybrid blockchains. Nevertheless, not like hybrid blockchains with one controlling entity, consortium blockchains are designed by a gaggle that desires to make use of the community for collaborative efforts. Customers outdoors of the consortium/group typically can’t get entry to the blockchain community.
What Function Does the Totally different Sorts of Blockchains Serve?
The various kinds of blockchains have their very own units of distinctive benefits and downsides. On this part, we’ll look nearer at what objective public blockchains, non-public blockchains, hybrid blockchains, and consortium blockchains serve.
Public Blockchains: Public blockchain networks have many advantages. Some examples embrace being utterly clear, absolutely decentralized, pseudonymous, and open to the general public. These benefits make them very best to be used instances resembling exchanging cryptocurrencies and organizations constructed on transparency and belief. Non-public Blockchains: Non-public blockchain networks excel on the subject of privateness, safety, velocity, and scalability. These advantages make non-public blockchains good to be used instances resembling provide chain administration, asset possession, inner voting, and many others. In these situations, it’s useful for the community to be cryptographically secured, however the controlling entity desires the data to be saved non-public.
![Showing different blockchains and how they're connected](https://moralis.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Showing-different-blockchains-and-how-theyre-connected.jpeg)
Hybrid Blockchains: Hybrid blockchains can present closed ecosystems, excessive flexibility, privateness with communication, and higher scalability. These constructive traits make hybrid chains very best to be used instances the place some, however not all, information must be shared with customers. As an example, medical information could be saved on a hybrid blockchain, the place solely customers can entry their very own information by way of sensible contracts. Consortium Blockchains: Consortium blockchains even have a number of benefits, together with excessive safety, management, and the opportunity of no transaction charges. These advantages make consortium blockchains nice to be used instances resembling banking, funds, and provide chain administration. As an example, two banks can come collectively and kind a consortium to make funds extra environment friendly.
Totally different Sorts of Blockchain Examples
Now, with an outline of the varied various kinds of blockchains, let’s take this part to discover some examples for every. And to kick issues off, we’ll begin with public blockchain networks!
![numerous blockchain networks and their logos, including Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, BNB Smart Chain, etc.](https://moralis.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/numerous-blockchain-networks-and-their-logos-including-Ethereum-Polygon-Solana-BNB-Smart-Chain-etc-1024x131.png)
Public Blockchain Instance
Public blockchains are essentially the most well-known networks. And except you’ve been dwelling below a rock for the previous few years, odds are you’ve heard of a minimum of one. The 2 most important examples are Bitcoin and Ethereum:
Bitcoin: The Bitcoin blockchain is a proof-of-work-based (PoW) distributed public ledger that launched in 2009. The blockchain hosts the BTC cryptocurrency and is accountable for sustaining the historical past of each transaction on the community. Furthermore, because the Bitcoin blockchain is public, anybody can take part and fetch a duplicate of the community to trace each switch since its origins. Ethereum: Ethereum is a public proof-of-stake (PoS) ledger, and it’s a scalable, programmable, and safe community. With Ethereum being programmable, it’s the blockchain of selection for a lot of builders and enterprises trying to create decentralized purposes (dapps). Ethereum additionally has its personal native token referred to as ether (ETH), which is used to pay for fuel charges on the community.
Non-public Blockchain Instance
Non-public chains are – because the title signifies – non-public. Consequently, particular person networks aren’t all that attention-grabbing since they are often comparatively area of interest. As such, as a substitute of exploring a selected non-public blockchain instance, let’s briefly dive into Hyperledger Cloth – an open-source non-public blockchain framework.
Hyperledger Cloth is an open-source blockchain framework created by the Linux Basis. And organizations use the framework to construct permissioned and personal blockchain networks. Furthermore, Hyperledger Cloth gives distinctive id administration and entry management options, making it very best for varied {industry} purposes, together with provide chain administration, finance, loyalty and reward methods, and many others. As such, this framework is often utilized in enterprise settings.
Hybrid Blockchain Instance
Hybrid chains mix each private and non-private blockchain options, and a fantastic instance is IBM Meals Belief – a number one initiative using a hybrid blockchain answer to boost transparency and traceability in provide chains.
IBM Meals Belief’s non-public blockchain offers a permissioned setting for provide chain contributors to distribute delicate data whereas concurrently sustaining privateness. In brief, it ensures that solely trusted entities achieve entry to confidential data.
Consortium Blockchain Instance
As with the opposite blockchain varieties, there are additionally many alternative consortium blockchain networks. Nevertheless, to offer you an instance, we’ll briefly discover R3 Corda – a blockchain community specifically designed for monetary providers.
R3 Corda is an open-source blockchain mission launched in 2016 by a consortium of banks, expertise corporations, and monetary establishments. The mission was constructed on interoperability, safety, and privateness ideas. And it permits for safe and environment friendly exchanges of knowledge between events.
Totally different Sorts of Blockchains for Builders
There are additionally a number of forms of blockchains for builders, and they are often categorized in a number of other ways. Nevertheless, a well-liked method to divide them is to categorise them as both EVM (Ethereum Digital Machine) or non-EVM chains.
![Different Types of Blockchains for Developers - art illustration](https://moralis.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Different-Types-of-Blockchains-for-Developers-art-illustration-1024x286.jpeg)
So, what’s the distinction between them?
EVM Chains: EVM-compatible chains can run and execute Ethereum sensible contracts. Consequently, builders can write and deploy the identical sensible contracts throughout a number of EVM blockchain networks with out making any important adjustments to the code. Some examples of EVM chains embrace Ethereum, BNB Good Chain (BSC), Polygon, and many others. Non-EVM Chains: Non-EVM chains, then again, are all different networks that aren’t EVM-compatible. Some distinguished examples of non-EVM chains embrace Solana, Polkadot, Cardano, and so forth.
One other method to classify each EVM and non-EVM chains is to divide them into layer-1 (L1) or layer-2 (L2) networks:
L1 Chains: Layer-1 blockchains discuss with base networks, and a few examples embrace Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, BSC, and many others. L2 Chains: Layer-2 blockchains are community protocols layered on prime of an L1 answer. An L2 protocol sometimes leverages the safety infrastructure of the L1 community however is extra versatile in its capability to scale transaction processing and general throughput. Examples of L2 blockchains embrace Polygon, Base, Polygon zkEVM, Optimism, Arbitrum, and many others.
Nonetheless, that covers some various kinds of blockchains for builders. From right here, we’ll introduce you to Moralis – the best method to construct dapps on any blockchain community!
Exploring Moralis: Best Method to Construct On Totally different Sorts of Blockchains
The best approach for builders to construct on a number of various kinds of blockchains is to leverage Moralis. Moralis is an industry-leading API and blockchain infrastructure supplier, and with our interfaces, you possibly can effortlessly construct dapps throughout a number of blockchain networks. Moreover, Moralis’ Web3 APIs at the moment energy blockchain tasks for hundreds of thousands of finish customers worldwide!
![Moralis M Logo - art illustration](https://moralis.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Moralis-M-Logo-art-illustration-1024x904.png)
However why do you have to leverage our APIs particularly?
To reply the query above, let’s discover three advantages of working with Moralis:
Scalability: All our APIs are constructed to scale. Consequently, as your tasks expertise elevated adoption, you by no means have to fret in regards to the efficiency of your dapps. Prime Efficiency: Moralis’ Web3 APIs are industry-leading. Whether or not you prioritize velocity, reliability, or some other metric, our APIs persistently blow the competitors out of the water. Cross-Chain Compatability: Our APIs are chain agnostic, which means you possibly can construct cross-chain appropriate dapps on a number of networks with ease. Some distinguished examples of supported chains embrace Ethereum, BSC, Polygon, Solana, Gnosis, Arbitrum, and lots of others.
In case you’d wish to discover our complete suite of premier interfaces, take a look at the Web3 API web page!
Additionally, together with the Web3 APIs, Moralis has much more to supply. As an example, with our crypto taps web page, you will discover taps for all main testnets. If you wish to be taught extra about this, you possibly can, for instance, take a look at our ”What’s a Goerli Faucet?” information and learn to get Goerli faucet funds in a heartbeat!
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Abstract: How Many Blockchains Are There, and What Are the Totally different Varieties?
In immediately’s article, we kicked issues off by answering the query, ”What number of blockchains are there?”. In doing so, we discovered that the house constantly grows at a speedy fee, making it laborious to pinpoint precisely what number of networks there are. Nevertheless, estimations counsel that there are a minimum of 1,000 blockchains!
From there, we additionally explored various kinds of blockchains. In doing so, we discovered that there are 4 fundamental classes:
Public ChainsPrivate ChainsHybrid ChainsConsortium Chains
We additionally explored totally different use instances and coated some examples of every blockchain kind, the place we discovered that all of them have their benefits and downsides. Subsequent, we dove a bit deeper into various kinds of blockchains for builders, the place we coated EVM vs non-EVM chains and L1 vs L2 networks.
To prime issues off, we launched you to Moralis and our industry-leading suite of Web3 APIs. In doing so, we discovered that they provide unparalleled scalability, prime efficiency, and cross-chain compatibility. As such, if you wish to construct dapps your self, don’t neglect to enroll with Moralis instantly. You’ll be able to create an account freed from cost, and also you’ll achieve fast entry to all our premier interfaces so you possibly can construct dapps with out breaking a sweat!
Additionally, for those who appreciated this blockchain information, contemplate trying out extra content material right here on our Web3 weblog. As an example, examine ethers.js, be taught the ins and outs of Web3 Python, or discover the intricacies of the blockchain tech stack! Lastly, for those who’d wish to discover the various kinds of blockchains, maybe see them in a “record view”, be certain that to take a look at our Web3 Wiki! Moralis’ Web3 Wiki is the most effective place to discover blockchain networks, NFT instruments, platforms, DeFi dapps, and many others! For a short introduction to our Web3 Wiki, learn our “Dapp Retailer” article!