Following our previous articles on the Spammening (Understanding TPS in Blockchain and Kusama's Historic Spammening Event), Polkadot has released its official report. This technical document not only confirms the exceptional performance we covered but also provides new insights into the technical innovations that made this breakthrough possible.
Confirmed and Detailed Performance
The official report validates our previously announced figures while providing important additional details. The Kusama network didn't just reach the announced 128,000 TPS; precise measurements show a peak of 143,343 TPS. Most remarkably, these blockchain performances were achieved while using only 23% of the network's total capacity.
As highlighted in our first article about understanding blockchain TPS, these figures are particularly impressive as they were achieved under real-world conditions, on a production network, with over 1,000 active validators and genuine economic activity.
The Architecture That Changes Everything
The report details the technical infrastructure that enabled these performances. Our earlier analogy with multi-core processors proves particularly relevant. The parallel cores system of Kusama/Polkadot functions exactly as we described, with each core acting as an independent but coordinated processing unit.
Shawn Tabrizi, whom we previously quoted, explains it perfectly in the report: "Imagine a supercomputer with multiple processors working in synergy. That's exactly what we built."
Stability Under Pressure
One aspect we couldn't detail in our previous articles concerns the network stability under load. The report reveals impressive metrics:
- Average block time maintained at 6.3 seconds
- Stable finality at 16.5 seconds
- Balanced load distribution across cores
These figures confirm our initial analysis: Polkadot isn't just breaking records; it's redefining what a blockchain can achieve under real-world conditions.
Validation of Our Analysis
The official report also validates our analysis of the importance of Asynchronous Backing. This technical innovation, which we identified as crucial, indeed proved decisive in achieving these performances. The separation of block production and validation enabled achieving optimal block times of 2 seconds on certain cores.
These exceptional performances rely on complex technical innovations that require a deeper understanding to fully grasp their significance. This is why we provide below a detailed explanation of the mechanisms that made this major advancement possible.
Understanding the Technical Architecture Behind the Spammening
To truly grasp the importance of the performances achieved during the Spammening, it is essential to understand two major innovations that made it possible: Asynchronous Backing and Agile Coretime.
Asynchronous Backing Made Simple
Think of an assembly line in a factory. In the old (synchronous) system, each step had to be completed before the next one could begin. With Asynchronous Backing, it's as if multiple assembly lines were operating in parallel:
- Before: A block had to be fully validated before starting the next one (12 seconds between each block)
- Now: Multiple blocks can be processed simultaneously (one block every 6 seconds)
The concrete advantages, detailed in the official blog, are:
- Execution time increased 4x (from 0.5 to 2 seconds)
- Doubled throughput (blocks processed every 6 seconds instead of 12)
- Ability to process 8x more data per block
Agile Coretime: Flexibility Driving Performance
Agile Coretime works like a smart resource booking system for the network. It enables two types of usage:
- Bulk Coretime: Like a 28-day subscription
- Guaranteed resource access
- Ability to share or split time
- Price-capped renewal option
- On-Demand Coretime: Like a pay-per-use system
- Payment only for resources used
- Maximum flexibility
- Ideal for activity peaks
This combination of Asynchronous Backing and Agile Coretime explains why the Spammening could achieve such impressive performance: the system can not only process more transactions simultaneously but also allocate its resources optimally according to needs.
Beyond TPS
As we emphasized in our article about understanding TPS, raw performance is only part of the equation. The report confirms the importance of decentralization and stability, demonstrating that Polkadot succeeds where many fail: maintaining these qualities even under extreme load.
Conclusion
The publication of this official Spammening report validates our previous analyses while providing fascinating technical details. Polkadot hasn't simply achieved an impressive technical demonstration; it has proven that our vision of the future of blockchain, based on a truly decentralized multi-core architecture, is not only possible but already operational.
Those who doubted the reality of these performances now have their answer: not only were the figures real, but they were even below the network's true capabilities.
This article follows our previous analyses of the Kusama Spammening and is based on the official report published by Polkadot.
