The table below compares ArcBlock with other services for creating decentralized blockchain applications.
Note: ArcBlock supports multiple blockchains through a proprietary Open Chain Access Protocol. Comparing ArcBlock to any other blockchain is like comparing apples with oranges.
ArcBlock | Ethereum | EOS | |
Consensus mechanism | Algorand, a new consensus algorithm based on MIT scientist and Turing Award Winner Silvio Micali’s latest research. | PoW (Proof of Work). Ethereum plans to transition to a PoW/PoS combination. | DPOS (Delegated Proof of Stake) |
Performance | High. ArcBlock is very efficient and performs nearly as well as the native platform itself. | Low | High |
Smart Contract | Blocklet + Blockchain | EVM/Solidity | Web Assembly |
Smart Contract Factory | Blocklet | Not supported | Not supported |
Smart Contract Template | Blocklet | Not natively supported. While some work-arounds are available, these alternatives may create potential security issues. | Unclear |
Oracle | Blocklet + Blockchain | Not natively supported by design. Some third-party implementations are available. | Unclear |
Off-chain | Blocklet | Not natively supported. Some third-party implementations are available. | Unclear |
Asset, resources | Blocklet | Not natively supported | Yet to be described |
Multi-chain access | Supported | N/A | N/A |
Token (native) | Full token service | Basic token transfer. Customers must implement the service. | Unclear |
Utility token | Full token service inherited from native token | ERC20 token built by Smart Contract. This is a “second-class” token. | Unclear |
DApps protocol | HTTPS, WebSocket, DDP, MQTT (extensible) | web3 | Unclear |
Web application support | Unlimited support for any web technology (Meteor, React, etc.), as well as reactive applications | Meteor | React |
Mobile application support | Unlimited support for reactive applications | Third-party (Status.im) | React Native |
There are also services like BlockCypher and SettleMint that provide web service APIs for blockchains. While they bear some similarity to ArcBlock, these are lighter weight services that merely make it easier to write code. While we’ve highlighted the differences below, comparing these API services to ArcBlock is similar to comparing a single set of RESTful APIs to a platform like AWS.
ArcBlock | BlockCypher | SettleMint | |
APIs for Blockchain | YES | YES | YES |
Consensus Mechanism | YES; Algorand-based | N/A | N/A |
Smart Contract | YES | NO; uses the technology the underlying chain can provide | NO; uses the technology the underlying chain can provide |
Oracle | YES | NO | NO |
Off-chain | YES | NO | NO |
Token Service | YES | NO | NO |
Client framework | YES | NO | NO |