Polygon Supernets vs. Avalanche Subnets: Which Is Better In The Recent?

Key Points:

• Polygon’s Supernet purports to be entire with Avalanche’s Subnet.
• They are programmed with very different rules, from consensus protocol and processing capacity to the number of validators.
• It can be seen that Subnet is superior in transaction processing speed compared to Supernet.

The construction of sidechains (sub-chains) is the preferred paradigm for big blockchains trying to overcome the issue of traffic congestion while also expanding their network (not always reliant on layers 2). The destination is the same, but each blockchain will have a different implementation; this article will explain the distinction between Avalanche’s “Subnet” sidechain and Polygon’s “Supernet,” as well as discuss the benefits and drawbacks of these two sidechains.

Overview

There have been some recent breakthroughs in blockchain launchpads, including introducing subnets by Avalanche and supernets by Polygon. Although the names and functions of supernets and subnets are identical on the surface, there are numerous major distinctions.

Subnets and supernets allow application-dedicated blockchain (app chains) construction. They improve user experiences by reducing cost fluctuation, increasing transaction speeds, and providing personalized network incentives that are not achievable with monolithic blockchains.

Without these platforms, creating an app chain is prohibitively costly, hazardous, and knowledge-intensive for most developers. Additionally, architects must solve the difficulty of correctly motivating decentralized validator involvement in order to assure security.

Subnets from Avalanche and supernets from Polygon have arisen to solve these challenges by abstracting away the blockchain-domain expertise necessary to establish application-dedicated blockchains and provide blockchain-as-a-service.

What is a Subnet?

Subnets are a dynamic group of validators that collaborate to reach an agreement on the state of blockchains. Subnets, in other words, are the infrastructure that supports app chains by supplying validators that may be shared between blockchains. Subnets, in the broadest sense, let developers, builders, and entrepreneurs to establish entirely customized blockchains inside the Avalanche ecosystem. Subnets were made available in May 2022.

Subnets are intended to be extremely customizable and to need as few design decisions as feasible. Companies and developers may build blockchains with the flexibility of customizing the virtual machine (EVM, AVM, or any other VM). Since subnets provide private blockchain choices, businesses may create customized blockchains without tokens if their business models do not need them.

The mainnet of the network is made up of three chains:

• X-Chain: A payment chain used to create nonfungible tokens (NFTs).
• C-Chain: A smart contract platform based on the Ethereum Virtual Machine for developing decentralized apps.
• P-Chain: Responsible for validator coordination on Avalanche as well as subnet creation and management.

The principal subnet, which includes all of the validators, keeps the Avalanche network running. It is their responsibility to verify the core network as well as the X, P, and C chains, enabling validators to validate new blockchains constructed on the network and promoting communication across subnets.

What is a Supernet?

Supernets are a colloquial term for both a Software program that enables developers, builders, and entrepreneurs to build their own app chains and the final app chain.

This program gives access to a professional collection of validators, third-party implementation, design, and administration services, and tools for immediate integration (including block explorers, wallets, and KYC providers). Polygon Edge, Polygon’s modular and flexible framework for developing Ethereum-compatible blockchains, is the technology that powers supernets.

Polygon Edge has two supported consensus types: Istanbul Byzantine Fault Tolerance (IBFT), Proof of Authority (PoA), and IBFT Proof of Stake (PoS). Both IBFT consensus protocols are permissioned protocols that need a group of trustworthy validators prior to consensus, with a theoretical maximum of 100 validators that may participate in consensus. IBFT PoA is best suited for private networks where validators’ confidence is strong, as in many corporate use cases. In contrast, IBFT PoS lets any validator in the trusted validator set participate in consensus.

Supernets are technical issue solvers for Polygon’s development framework, Polygon Edge. Polygon Edge assists in the creation of Ethereum-compatible blockchains that are safe, decentralized, and efficient.

Interoperability, specificity, increased scalability, security, and improved decentralization are all advantages of utilizing Polygon supernets. Supernets also excel at addressing Polygon Edge’s technological issues, particularly chain configurations and bootstrapping decentralized validator sets.

There have been 35 Edge projects created since the first deployed Edge project in May 2021.

IBFT consensus assures stability if fewer than one-third of validators behave poorly – either maliciously or due to downtime. Over time, more consensus protocols are likely to be supported. Polygon Edge’s current consensus procedures provide immediate finality, and community members may delegate to Polygon validators.

Developers working on the Polygon network have access to a variety of validators and tools for easy integration, as well as third-party services to help with implementation, design, and maintenance.

Supernets may be maintained by a certified third party in two ways: sovereign chains (blockchains confirmed by their own set of validators) and shared security chains (blockchains validated through a provided set of MATIC-staked validators).

Subnet vs. Supernets

Avalanche has a system of subnets that have dynamic validators working together to achieve consensus. Furthermore, they are an app-chain infrastructure that provides validators that can be shared between blockchains. Fully customized blockchains can be created on Avalanche with these subnets.

Polygon’s version of this app-chain infrastructure is called the supernet. Supernets provide validators, third-party implementation services, design, management, and tooling for instant integration. Additionally, they are powered by Polygon Edge, a modular framework for building Ethereum-compatible blockchains.

The two systems sound similar, but there are actually a few differences.

One of the primary differences between subnets and supernets is the core consensus protocol. The snowman consensus protocol used by Avalanche enables theoretically infinite decentralization and scalability by providing probabilistic consensus among validators. Polygon’s IBFT consensus protocols guarantee consensus, but at the cost of decentralization and loss of permissionless participation.

Furthermore, supernets have slashing capabilities that can punish bad actors on the network. Avalanche does not use this mechanism, fearing centralization of staking.

Avalanche claims a higher throughput at 4,500 transactions per second. Polygon’s is around 1,500. There are also more validators on Avalanche subnets, with 1,300 compared to just 100 on supernets.

• About the operation: The Subnet functions as a smaller “slice” of Avalanche. Instead of creating a single blockchain, developers will establish numerous parallel blockchains while retaining Avalanche’s advantages, like security, speed, and community.
  Nevertheless, the objective of Polygon’s Supernet is quite different. A Supernet is designed to link current crypto apps – such as DeFi, GameFi, and even Web3 – and improve network interoperability, while the original blockchain will handle transactions.
• In terms of scalability, the subnet will be a replicated smaller chain inside the Avalanche architecture. Developers will utilize Avalanche’s unique network address to create a Subnet.
• The Supernet, on the other hand, is known as the “network of networks,” since it may comprise subnets and many other networks. Each Supernet can exchange values and messages with other Supernets as well as the Ethereum mainnet.
• About security: Because of the purpose and magnitude of the two kinds of subnets, their security has benefits and drawbacks. Since it is controlled individually, subnets are valued for their security. In particular, a failure will have little effect on the whole big chain.
• The Supernet, on the other hand, is more susceptible to assaults owing to its multi-network connectivity strategy, which complicates system maintenance.

Conclusion

According to the current situation, both Polygon and Avalanche have invested significant resources in their respective application chain solutions Supernets, and Subnets, such as using native tokens for incentives and collaborating with other industry providers to provide customized services, in order for related projects to be completed and deployed quickly.

Nevertheless, no exemplary projects for these two alternatives are presently available. As can be observed, App Chain is not a suitable growth prescription for project parties. Polygon Supernets’ primary network has not yet been launched, and the emphasis of Polygon’s expansion solution is a range of options, including zkEVM.

DISCLAIMER: The Information on this website is provided as general market commentary and does not constitute investment advice. We encourage you to do your own research before investing.

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