Bitaigen Research You probably often hear the concepts of base chain and public chain in the crypto space.
A base chain provides the underlying technology and protocols that serve as the infrastructure for creating and supporting multiple public chains; a public chain is a blockchain that is open to anyone for reading, transacting, and participating in consensus.
In this article we systematically outline the conceptual boundaries between base chains and public chains, and analyze the core functions and ecosystem value of public chains. Through illustrated explanations, we help readers clarify the technical hierarchy, master the key considerations when selecting projects and planning ecosystem deployments; subsequent sections will further expand on details and are worth a careful read.
What is the difference between base chains and public chains?
- Base chain originated as a colloquial term before the EOS mainnet launch, referring to the “infrastructure of a public chain.” It provides low‑level protocols, consensus mechanisms, and account models that are used to generate multiple public chains.
- Anyone can build a new public chain based on the open‑source EOS, BTC, or ETH code; whether it gains broad recognition depends on community consensus.
- Public chain denotes a blockchain that is openly and publicly accessible. Compared with consortium chains (visible and usable only by member entities) and private chains (visible and usable only by an individual or organization), public chains, consortium chains, and private chains form the three major classifications of blockchains based on openness.
What are the functions of public chains?
Public chains (also called public‑open chains) allow anyone worldwide to read data, send transactions, and take part in consensus. According to the degree of centralization, they can be categorized into three application scenarios:
| Type | Access Permission | Typical Use Cases |
|---|---|---|
| **Public chain** | Fully open, no authorization required | Finance, asset registration, voting, IoT and other high‑trust scenarios |
| **Consortium chain** | Authorized nodes only | Inter‑institution collaboration, industry alliances, supply‑chain management |
| **Private chain** | Controlled by a single entity | Internal corporate data management, internal audit |
Core value of public chains
- Protecting user rights
- Developers cannot unilaterally interfere with user actions; decentralized distributed storage ensures transaction data is public, transparent, and immutable, thereby enhancing data security.
- Generating network effects
- The openness of a public chain attracts a large number of external users and developers. As the network grows, participants can derive increasing value, creating a positive network effect.
- Realizing concrete commercial scenarios
- Beyond finance, any scenario that demands high trust, security, and durability—such as asset registration, voting, governance, and IoT 3.0 applications—can leverage a public chain to achieve decentralized, trustworthy operation.
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