What are the best blockchains for smart contracts?

Talk about the most famous blockchain applications and smart contracts that are sure to take a fair share of the limelight- and for all the great reasons. Smart contracts are undoubtedly a revolution and the world will forever be grateful to Ethereum for introducing smart contracts to modern life. Now, a lot of people use blockchain and smart contracts interchangeably but these two are not the same. As mentioned above smart contracts are essentially a type of blockchain application. Check out more at Multibank.io.

While Ethereum was the first to launch smart contracts on blockchain- a bunch of advanced blockchains has also started offering smart contracts today. However, the Ethereum chain has been and probably would always be the #1 base blockchain for smart contracts.

The post below will offer a brief on the best blockchains for smart contracts today- but prior to that, let’s have a compact discussion on smart contracts.

Smart contracts

Smart contracts are blockchain applications that function on the basis of “if-then” programming. These are digital contracts that function somewhat like vending machines. In vending machines, it is pre-determined that if you insert a particular amount of money, the machine will bring out a candy. The whole function happens automatically.

It’s somewhat the same with smart contracts. These blockchain applications are self-enforceable digital contracts that are programmed to execute certain pre-set functions if certain specified conditions are fulfilled.

Top features of smart contracts

Being a blockchain use case, smart contracts share key features with blockchain.

Decentralized- facilitates direct P2P communication and eliminates intermediaries
Immutable- any data entered on blockchain and smart contracts cannot be modified
Transparency- Both blockchain and smart contacts assures complete transparency about the data stored
Safety- Smart contracts guard the embedded data with encrypted security

Versatile applications

When it comes to blockchain and smart contracts, almost any industry out there would benefit from these two technologies.

Smart contracts are now widely used across the finance, trade, and banking sectors. Several banks in South Korea and Japan have started using smart contracts for faster and more economical international money transfer in real-time. A leading Chinese bank has already developed a smart contract-embedded portal for international trade settlement.

Additionally, smart contracts can be used in the health sector, insurance, supply chain, record keeping, real estate, NFT, and more. In fact, government organizations can utilize smart contracts in the voting system to eliminate tampering in the voting process.

Top blockchains for smart contracts

If you are a developer aspiring to build smart contracts, then you should know about the best blockchains to build upon. Here is a list of top blockchains that would ensure a safe home for your smart contracts-

Ethereum

The pioneer of smart contracts in the blockchain world, Ethereum allows smart contracts applications for almost any industry, ranging from ICOs to NFTs to online games, and so on. The chain creates smart contracts through Solidity, Ethereum’s own programming language for smart contracts. One of the best aspects of Ethereum- especially in regard to smart contracts- is Hire Dedicated Developers and clear standardization measures. The Ethereum chain also boasts the largest market capitalization when it comes to smart contracts.

Pros of Ethereum chain for smart contracts

Free setup
ERC-20
Boasts own programming language for smart contracts
Has established clear rules for smart contracts developers
Highly active and knowledgeable development community
Offers immense volume of resources

Cons of Ethereum chain for smart contracts

Congested network
Expensive, more pricey compared to other blockchains for smart contracts
Security issues that had led to hacking attacks

NEM

Talk about the safest and most secured blockchains for smart contracts today and NEM is sure to take the cake away. The blockchain has impressed the blockchain world with its recent Mijin v.2 or Catapult update.

NEM has already been a favorite of smart contract developers since its inception as it allows smart contract development in the good old Java. As a result, developers here won’t have to take additional training in additional programming languages, like you have to do for Solidity on Ethereum.

And of course, NEM also steals the show with excellent scalability.

Pros of NEM chain for smart contracts

User-friendly development, thanks to Java
No need to take training on other new programming languages
Reliable performance
Stellar scalability (100 TPS)
Highly secured

Cons of NEM chain for smart contracts

Does nor offer many tools yet
Comparatively smaller community of developers
Less decentralized

Hyperledger Fabric

One of the major reasons why developers are increasingly frequenting this blockchain is because Hyperledger assures a more efficient and convenient way of developing the smart contracts. Hyperledger Fabric represents a permissioned cutting-edge blockchain that allows creation of smart contracts with JavaScript. Inspired by Ethereum, Hyperledger also supports developers with various helpful tools, such as Hyperledger Composer.

Pros of Hyperledger chain for smart contracts

Allows free use
Open-source blockchain
IBM support since the tech giant is co-developer
Permissioned membership
Enables smart contract coding in multiple languages
Offers support for plug-in components

Cons of Hyperledger chain for smart contracts

Absence of token system

Wave

We will conclude our list of top blockchains for the smart contracts applications with Wave.

Founded in 2016, Wave represents a high-tech open-source blockchain portal that has been intelligently developed to address the glaring problems existing in traditional blockchains, especially the glitches of scalability and speed.

Akin to Ripple, Wave allows easy token operations, thereby offering a reliable portal for the ICO projects. One of the best parts about working on Wave is that the platform offers an easy ground for novice developers as well. The platform is so user-friendly that you just require the basic tech know-how to work on Wave.

Pros of Wave chain for smart contracts

One of the best blockchain platforms for ICO projects as well as crowd-sales
Does not require advanced tech know-how for creating tokens

Cons of Wave chain for smart contracts

Not very versatile
Smaller user base

So, you have quite a bunch of blockchain platforms here for the development of smart contracts. Each of them comes with its unique set of advantages. As a blockchain developer, you have to chalk what kind of blockchain environment you want and then choose a portal accordingly.