> # Block Times

Block times are the time between two adjacent blocks in a blockchain or the time required to produce a new block. The data and plot below are for Polygon chain alone.

From the data visualized below, Polygon chain takes atleast 2 seconds to produce a block, a lower bound hard coded into the protocol. Since the Median is same as minimum time and the average barely hovers over the minimum, we can safely say that most of the blocks tend to take only 2 seconds to be produced.

> # Transactions per Block

Transactions per Block is the transactions that can be squeezed into a single block. This is usually constrained by the Gas Units limit enforced on a single block.

Looking at the data visualized below, we can see 3 clear bands.

1. A band above 500 txs, which is usually the daily ceiling for transaction in a single block, on that particular day
2. A band between 40 to 100 txs, which is the transaction count in a average polygon block
3. A band below 10, which contains the daily floor for transactions in a single block.

Its impressive that Polygon blocks can hold up to 20 times the current average throughput

> # Block Times Comparison

In this section, Polygon block times will be compared to other ETH alternatives like Flow, Optimism, Arbitrum and Solana. The first row of plots show the metrics on the overall timescale, starting from June 2022. The 2nd row shows the spread of daily values of the same metrics. starting from June 2022.

In the overall plots, The hardcoded 2 second limit seems to push Polygon as the chain with longest time on average. However high validator counts and optimizations have made Polygon and Solana have the lowest max times registered.

In the spread plot, a smaller spread indicates a more predictable performance, which could be a result of higher activity or better optimization. In the block times parameter, Polygon and Solana have the lowest spreads

> # Transactions per Block Comparison

Similar to the previous section, we will use scatter plots with overall values and daily spreads. Solana blocks are in general bigger. EVM block sizes are comparable. However, Polygon and Solana have comparable Max block sizes, possibly suggesting that Polygon maybe able to handle Solana like volume.

Unlike the previous section, the spreads on Polygon and Solana are much much higher. While this may suggest the lack of predictability or optimization, the main reason is that the Transaction volume is an external parameter, while Block times is an internal parameter. Based on the daily activity, the spread will increase.

Being top-tier alternatives to ETH; Solana and Polygon tend to see enormous volatility in activity, esp during a bearish market.