Consensus
Ethereum uses Casper PoS with a single execution layer processing all transactions sequentially. Scalability relies on L2 rollups (Optimism, Arbitrum, zkSync) which introduce sequencer centralization and cross-rollup composability challenges.
Radix uses Cerberus, which parallelizes consensus across shards. Throughput scales linearly with shard count. 500,000+ TPS demonstrated on commodity hardware.
Programming Model
Ethereum (Solidity): Account-based model where tokens are mappings inside contracts. Requires approve() + transferFrom() pattern. Susceptible to reentrancy, approval exploits, and front-running.
Radix (Scrypto): Asset-oriented model where tokens are native resources. No approval pattern. Reentrancy structurally impossible. Assets move in buckets.
Transactions
Ethereum: Opaque calldata — users blind sign hex data they can't read.
Radix: Transaction manifests — readable, composable, verifiable before signing.
Scalability
| Property | Ethereum | Radix |
|---|---|---|
| L1 TPS | ~15-30 | 500,000+ (Cerberus) |
| Scaling approach | L2 rollups | L1 sharding |
| Cross-shard composability | Async bridges | Atomic (same-transaction) |
| Hardware requirements | Moderate (L1), centralized (L2 sequencers) | Commodity |
Strengths of Each
Ethereum's strengths: Largest ecosystem, most liquidity, widest tooling support, strongest brand recognition, battle-tested over 10+ years.
Radix's strengths: Superior asset model (native assets, no approvals), readable transactions, linear L1 scalability, developer-friendly Rust-based language, structurally eliminates common exploit classes.
