2009
Early Titans
Networks like Bitcoin pioneered the first decentralized, digital currencies, enabling peer-to-peer transactions without intermediaries. Robust decentralization powered by proof-of-work
consensus. Basic scripting system preventing
any smart applications. Low throughput with long block
times and prohibitive block size. Rigid governance prohibiting feature upgrades to improve
developer experience.
2012
Payment Networks
Early payment networks optimized for high-throughput token payments, frequently at the expense of decentralization. High throughput, optimized for payments. Limited programmability to
favor optimizing for just payment use cases. Quorum centralization risks
due to selected consensus mechanisms. Poor developer experience because of early, complex smart contract environments.
2014
Programmable Upstarts
Networks like Ethereum ushered in advanced programmability with Turing-complete virtual machines, and developer-friendly smart contract languages like Solidity. Programmable smart contracts to build early on-chain applications. Simple developer experience via Solidity
and EVM tooling ecosystem. Low throughput with strict
VM computation constraints. Inefficient execution pricing
generalizing over unique hardware resources. Restrictive state access and growth with high-cost storage operations.
2019
”ETH Killers”
Following the success of Ethereum, various networks set out to improve the programmable blockchain model by optimizing for throughput and performance. Programmable smart contracts to build early on-chain applications. High throughput, commonly via parallel
transaction processing. Difficult DX because of non-traditional
VM designs and EVM-familiarity headwinds. Segmented ecosystems with
fragmented protocols and user bases. High validator requirements
creating centralization pressures. Poor network stability as a function of early high throughput explorations.
2020
Interoperable Networks
In parallel, other networks attempted to service a future populated by many sovereign chains, interoperating through shared communication layers. Modular, shared security for quick network
bootstrapping. Poor cross-chain UX forcing
users to segment activity. Liquidity fragmentation with
separated capital pockets. High security risk with network-by-network
validator security intricacies. High operational complexity for node operators and developers alike.
2021
Layer-2 Networks
As an alternative approach to scaling Ethereum throughput, Layer-2 (L2) networks began to innovate upon the rollup paradigm, building on top of Ethereum security. Low operational complexity for deployment
and maintenance ease. Familiar experience for existing Ethereum-adjacent
users and developers. Liquidity fragmentation across
L2 network ecosystem. Centralization risks via single
sequencers and whitelisted state root proposers. Inefficient execution pricing
with rudimentary MEV environments and inherited Ethereum execution pricing downfalls.
2023
Modern Scalers
Present-day high-performance L1 and L2 networks focus on scaling through parallel execution, pipelining, and hardware optimization. High throughput through software and hardware
optimization. Parallel VM execution to support smart
contract scaling. Overfit optimization for traditional
blockchain workloads. High, uniform validator requirements
prohibiting average participants, with increased centralization risks.
2025++
Ritual
Ritual moves beyond scaling existing workloads to fundamentally re-imagine on-chain computation and enrich user functionality. Native, heterogeneous compute with support
for AI Inference, ZK Proving & Verification, TEE execution, and future paradigms
via forward-compatible architecture. Flexible verification with modular computational
primitives. Node specialization enabling diverse participants
and workload specialization. State-of-the-art execution pricing via a novel fee market
design: Resonance.