In this chapter, we examined the differences between Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric. The most fundamental difference is in the way that they are designed, operate, and target different audiences. Ethereum is a publicly-available blockchain network. At its heart is the Ethereum Virtual Machine, or EVM. It offers a built-in cryptocurrency, Ether, with its associated transaction fees and smart contracts. Ethereum is a generic platform that can be used by everyone in an universal way. Hyperledger Fabric, on the other hand, has a modular architecture with pluggable components, such as its consensus mechanism and storage, which provides flexibility in terms of which components you want to use or not use, as if you were dining a la carte.
Ethereum's public mode of participation allows anyone to join the network. Because of its permissionless mode of operation, Ethereum offers total transparency, meaning that it is not possible to have restricted transaction visibility, since everyone can...