You have a great idea for a decentralized application (dApp), and now you’re faced with the task of finding the ideal blockchain platform to bring it to life. With so many options out there, it can be challenging to determine which one is the right fit for your project. It is not an easy decision, and each protocol has its own pros and cons. Your decision will ultimately depend on the nature of your application. 

In this practical guide, we’ll walk you through the key factors to consider when selecting a blockchain platform for your dApp:

1. User adoption
2. Transaction throughput, cost, and scalability
3. Developer experience
4. Extra or application-specific features

User adoption

The blockchain space has seen tremendous growth in recent years, with more users adopting decentralized technologies for various purposes, from finance to gaming. This overall positive sentiment towards blockchain adoption makes it an opportune time to launch your dApp.

Blockchain platforms have various rates of user adoption, with some chains specifically focusing on user growth such as BNB Chain. It is much easier to onboard existing users onto your app rather than attempting to launch into a smaller ecosystem. User adoption is undoubtedly a crucial factor because it directly affects the success and longevity of your project. If you’re building a consumer-facing application, like a decentralized marketplace or a social media platform, a high user adoption rate is vital to ensure that your project gains traction and stays relevant.

However, in some cases, a blockchain with an existing high adoption rate is not necessary. For example, if you are building a B2B solution and your user base will be primarily larger clients, it may not be necessary to deploy on a chain with an existing ecosystem.

Currently, the most active blockchain ecosystems in terms of daily user activity are:

1. Tron
2. BNB Chain
3. Bitcoin
4. Ethereum
5. Polygon

These stats are taken from Token Terminal, but should be taken with a pinch of salt – blockchain activity is often spoofed to appear more active than it is.

Daily active users across all market sectors, from tokenterminal.com

To measure user adoption on different chains and stay informed about the latest trends, you can refer to resources like dApp analytics platforms (e.g., DappRadar, State of the DApps, and Dapp.com), blockchain explorers, and official social media channels (e.g., Twitter, Reddit, and Discord). These platforms provide valuable insights into user activity, transaction volumes, and community engagement on various blockchain networks. That being said, there can be a lot of fake and hyped information on social media, so it is important to find official channels who cite verified sources. 

As a developer or founder, it’s important to understand that user adoption is not only about the numbers. Just because the blockchain has a large number of users does not mean this will translate into your application. Building a successful user dApp also involves creating a strong community and a solid user experience.

Transaction throughput, scalability, cost

In the world of blockchain, transaction throughput, and cost are crucial factors that directly impact the user experience of your dApp. High throughput ensures that your dApp can handle a large number of transactions simultaneously, enabling a seamless experience even during peak usage. It also ensures that transactions can be finalized quickly and cheaply.

Transaction throughput and cost are especially important for applications that involve frequent and time-sensitive transactions, such as decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms, gaming dApps, and NFT marketplaces. For projects with less frequent or less time-sensitive transactions, like decentralized storage solutions or identity management systems, these factors might be less critical.

Many blockchains were built specifically for high transaction throughput such as Fantom, Aptos, and Sui. While Ethereum can handle around 30 transactions per second, Fantom boasts 10,000 TPS, Sui has around 120,000 TPS, and Aptos claims it will be able to handle up to 160,000 TPS. 

Of course, there are also scalability solutions on top of Ethereum, helping to improve transaction throughput. The most popular scaling project is Polygon – they have a few options available and have recently launched their ZK roll-up solution. Coinbase has also recently launched Base, their Ethereum L2 solution that is focused on building bridges between other L2s. Using one of these scaling solutions will allow you to tap into the user base of Ethereum while offering higher transaction throughput and lower costs for your users. 

Developer experience

As fast or user-friendly as a blockchain may be, it won’t matter if you are not able to develop your application. Developer experience is one of the top reasons that founders choose one ecosystem over another, taking into consideration:

1. Existing skills and programming languages of the developer team
2. Developer support, docs, and tooling
3. Developer Community
4. Grants and incentives available

Many smart contract developers are familiar with the EVM and Solidity and may not be able to easily switch to other languages or environments. This is important to consider because smart contract development can be particularly unsafe if you are not aware of the underlying mechanisms of the technology and language. Fortunately, EVM-compatible chains allow developers to stay within the tooling and language that they are familiar with but still launch on another chain that may suit their needs. Avalanche is a popular example of an EVM L1 that is fully compatible with EVM developer tooling such as Truffle, Hardhat, and Foundry.

Developer tools, such as SDKs, IDEs, testnets, and debuggers, can help streamline the development process. Ethereum is well-known for having a variety of developer tools and frameworks, from development suites like Hardhat and Foundry to smart contract standards from OpenZeppelin. These tools are not just easy to use, but provide a safer framework for developing dApps.

Support from the developer community and the core team of the protocol is often underappreciated when deciding on a chain. Due to the ever-evolving nature of blockchain, it is more common than not to have to ask for human support during the development process. Active forums, Discord channels, and social media groups offer opportunities to ask questions, collaborate, and stay informed about the latest developments in the ecosystem.

Incentives, like grants and funding programs, can also play a significant role in your decision-making process. Many blockchain platforms, such as Ethereum, Avalanche, and Moonbeam, offer grants or financial support to developers and teams working on innovative projects that contribute to the ecosystem’s growth.

Extra features

Many protocols offer other built-in functionality for building applications, such as interoperability or privacy. Depending on your application and values, it may be helpful to find a blockchain that has some of these features out-of-the-box.

Privacy is a critical aspect for many users, and some blockchain platforms offer built-in privacy functionality to protect user data and transaction details. For instance, Secret Network offers customizable privacy through different means such as ZK proofs and TEEs.

If it is important for your application to work on and across multiple chains and ecosystems, you may consider finding a protocol that is building this functionality. Some examples are Moonbeam, offering cross-chain functionality between Ethereum and Polkadot, and Shiden, building a multi-chain layer on top of Kusama that is compatible with EVM, WebAssembly, and L2 solutions.

There are hundreds of other chains working on building interesting functionality, such as regulation, decentralized identity, or modular designs.

After choosing a blockchain that works for you and your project, make sure you find infrastructure and tooling that supports it. At Bware, we provide decentralized infrastructure for 41 networks (including 22 chains) and are always growing. Be sure to check out the list here!