Bitcoin-NG: A Scalable Blockchain Protocol That Separates Leader Election from Transactions

Another proposal, Bitcoin-NG, which is based on the idea of microblocks and leader election, has gained some attention recently.

The core idea is to split blocks into two types, namely leader blocks (also called key blocks) and microblocks: Leader blocks: These are responsible for PoW whereas microblocks contain actual transactions.

A Scalable Blockchain Protocol That Separates Leader Election from Transactions

Micro blocks: These do not require any PoW and are generated by the elected leader every block- generation cycle.

The only requirement is to sign the microblocks with the elected leader’s private key.

The microblocks can be generated at a very high speed by the elected leader (miner), thus resulting in increased performance and transaction speed.

On the other hand, an Ethereum mauve paper written by Vitalik Buterin has been presented at Ethereum Devcon2 in Shanghai; it describes the vision of a scalable Ethereum.

The mauve proposal is based on a combination of sharding and implementation of PoS algorithm.

Certain goals such as efficiency gain via PoS, maximally fast block time, economic finality, scalability, cross-shard communication, and censorship resistance have been identified in the paper.

Why This Matters for Blockchain Technology

Understanding Bitcoin-NG is not just an academic exercise — it has real-world implications for how blockchain systems are designed, deployed, and secured. Whether you are a developer building decentralized applications, a business leader evaluating blockchain adoption, or a curious learner exploring the technology, this knowledge provides a critical foundation.

Key Points to Remember

  • Bitcoin-NG Another proposal, Bitcoin-NG, which is based on the idea of microblocks and leader election, has gained some attention recently.
  • The core idea is to split blocks into two types, namely leader blocks (also called key blocks) and microblocks: Leader blocks: These are responsible for PoW whereas microblocks contain actual transactions.
  • Micro blocks: These do not require any PoW and are generated by the elected leader every block- generation cycle.
  • The only requirement is to sign the microblocks with the elected leader’s private key.

Conclusion

Bitcoin-NG represents one of the many innovative layers that make blockchain technology so powerful and transformative. As distributed systems continue to evolve, a solid understanding of these core concepts becomes increasingly valuable — not just for developers, but for anyone building, investing in, or working alongside blockchain-powered systems.

Whether you are just starting your blockchain journey or deepening existing expertise, mastering these fundamentals gives you the tools to think clearly about decentralized systems and make smarter decisions in this rapidly evolving space.