But does it scale?
That’s a central question and challenge for the blockchain industry. As global adoption grows, powerhouse blockchain networks suffer from increased congestion. As a result, users pay higher fees and must wait through slower transaction processing periods. Not good.
Fortunately, blockchain developers are tackling this issue head-on. Two recent, promising solutions that have recently emerged are known as Avalanche Subnets and Polygon Supernets. At a high level, both enable third-party developers to create and operate customized, unique blockchain networks that function inside their larger, respective ecosystems.
And these sub-networks do help their larger ecosystems scale. If the Avalanche and Ethereum blockchains are major highways running through very crowded cities, then Subnets and Supernets represent new, adjacent, connected highways and roads. They help clear up traffic on the main highway, and therefore the cities become increasingly efficient and economically vibrant.
Multiple indicators are telling us that Subnets and Supernets are in demand. In March, the Avalanche Foundation committed $290M for the development of Subnets. Then in April, Polygon core developers promised 100M for the support of Supernets. Even an internet rumble broke out between Avalanche and Polygon developers over the merits of each platform. Clearly, the market needs these scaling solutions, and there’s money to be made.
The following will provide:
- A brief overview of Avalanche, Polygon, Subnets, and Supernets,
- A comparison showing some concrete similarities and differences, and
- Broader level conclusions about the two projects. OK, let’s do this!
Avalanche: An Overview
Avalanche is a decentralized, proof-of-stake, layer one blockchain protocol. Avalanche has a base layer blockchain network that’s referred to as the primary network. The primary network consists of a unique consensus model, a native token (AVAX), and three main blockchains.
Avalanche’s three main chains are known as the Exchange (X) Chain, the Contract (C) Chain, and the Platform (P) Chain. The X Chain allows users to create and swap assets. The C Chain facilitates the creation and execution of smart contract-enabled NFTs, DeFi, and other decentralized applications. And the P Chain coordinates Avalanche’s validators and allows for the creation and management of Subnets.
Avalanche Subnets: An Introduction
Avalanche’s P Chain architecture includes infrastructure that enables third-party developers to implement and launch their own independent Subnets. These Subnets are composed of one or more third-party created blockchains that can operate with a very high degree of autonomy and independent customization with concerns to tokens and rules.
Avalanche’s Developer Evangelist, Gabriel Cardona, says that Subnets allow developers to “spin up a tailor-made network with custom virtual machines and complex validator rule sets.” With Subnets, developers have extensive autonomy when choosing their validators, validator incentives, gas prices, and virtual machines. Importantly, a greater degree of autonomy comes with a greater need for developmental and operative competence.
A few more details with regards to the macro perspective of the Subnet ecosystem:
- Each subnet must host at minimum one (but can…
David learned about bitcoin in 2015 and has closely followed the crypto industry since then. His professional interests center around bitcoin, layer-one blockchain protocols, decentralized finance, and clean energy. An attorney by trade, David has held licenses to practice law in the State of Hawaii and in US federal courts.
