Blockchain and Tangle are both distributed ledger technologies, but they have some key differences:
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Structure:
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Blockchain is a linear chain of blocks, where each block contains multiple transactions.
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Tangle, used in IOTA, is a directed acyclic graph (DAG) where each transaction is linked to two previous transactions.
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Consensus Mechanism:
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Blockchain typically uses Proof of Work (PoW) or Proof of Stake (PoS) for reaching consensus.
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Tangle uses a different consensus mechanism called "Coordinator" to validate transactions.
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Scalability:
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Tangle is often touted as more scalable than traditional blockchains because it can process multiple transactions simultaneously.
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Blockchain scalability is a common concern due to block size limits and network congestion.
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Fees:
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In most blockchain networks, users need to pay transaction fees to incentivize miners.
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Tangle, on the other hand, relies on a "pay-it-forward" model where users validate two previous transactions to have their own transactions validated.
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Security:
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Both technologies have their own security models, but Tangle is designed to be resilient against certain types of attacks like 51% attacks due to its structure.
In conclusion, while both blockchain and Tangle are used for decentralized transactions, they differ in their structure, consensus mechanisms, scalability, fee models, and security approaches.