2025-12-17 03:28:32

Why do some blockchains move faster than others? The answer lies in parallel execution.

Instead of processing transactions one after another, modern blockchain networks handle multiple operations at the same time. Think of it like this: traditional chains are a single checkout lane, while parallel execution opens multiple lanes to serve customers simultaneously.

This approach dramatically boosts throughput. By executing smart contracts and transactions concurrently rather than sequentially, networks can validate more data and settle more trades in the same timeframe. It's not magic—it's smart engineering.

The tradeoff? Ensuring all these simultaneous processes don't conflict or corrupt the ledger. Layer 2 solutions, shard-based designs, and advanced virtual machines tackle this puzzle in different ways.

Want to understand how this reshapes blockchain performance and scalability? Let's break it down.

This page may contain third-party content, which is provided for information purposes only (not representations/warranties) and should not be considered as an endorsement of its views by Gate, nor as financial or professional advice. See Disclaimer for details.

20 Likes

Reward
20
6
Repost
Share

Comment

0/400

NFTragedy

· 12-19 16:47

The idea of executing this in parallel sounds good, but how many chains can actually be implemented? Most are just bragging.

View OriginalReply0

TopBuyerForever

· 12-17 14:51

Parallel execution sounds good, but the real test is how to prevent conflicts; otherwise, what's the use of being fast?

View OriginalReply0

ChainMemeDealer

· 12-17 03:59

Parallel execution of this stuff is basically just throwing hardware at it. The real challenge is still the consistency of state. --- Both sharding and L2, in the end, it's all about various trade-offs. There is no perfect solution. --- Okay, opening a few more channels will speed things up. But what about security? Why not talk about that? --- Looking only at throughput is useless; you have to spend money. Whether gas fees are high or not is the key. --- Ha, finally someone explained this clearly. I was previously fooled by marketing buzzwords.

View OriginalReply0

GateUser-cff9c776

· 12-17 03:58

Honestly, parallel execution is like installing a load balancer on the blockchain, but the real test is how to prevent data collisions. From the supply and demand curve, the throughput has increased, but the cost of security has also risen. Is this trade-off worth it? Layer 2 solutions sound very clever, but it seems like they are ultimately trading complexity for performance—Schrödinger's optimization. That said, most chains are still operating with a single-channel mindset, no wonder they can't keep up.

View OriginalReply0

RealYieldWizard

· 12-17 03:54

The idea of executing this in parallel sounds good, but in reality, there are only a few chains that can actually run, most of which are just bragging.

View OriginalReply0

BearMarketBuyer

· 12-17 03:45

Parallel execution of this system should have been popularized long ago; Solana has been using it for a while. Why do some people still treat it as something new?

View OriginalReply0