Bitcoin Forum

Alternate cryptocurrencies => Altcoin Discussion => Topic started by: bitcool on December 01, 2012, 01:26:55 PM



Title: Why does LTC client sync much faster than BTC
Post by: bitcool on December 01, 2012, 01:26:55 PM
I have a Linux with both BTC and LTC clients installed, it's only powered up for OS and blockchain updates every few weeks.

One thing I noticed is that even though LTC has four times as many blocks as BTC does, it completes the sync 2~3 times faster every time. but why?

Is this because LTC has smaller packets and smaller packets tend to be faster in P2P networks?


Title: Re: Why doe LTC network sync much faster than BTC
Post by: michaelmclees on December 01, 2012, 01:49:22 PM
From what I understand, the thing that is difficult with the BTC chain isn't the transfer, but rather the verification on your local machine.


Title: Re: Why doe LTC network sync much faster than BTC
Post by: thebaron on December 01, 2012, 01:51:23 PM
LTC has a lot fewer transactions per block. Mostly none besides the reward, actually.


Title: Re: Why doe LTC network sync much faster than BTC
Post by: bitcool on December 01, 2012, 02:58:47 PM
LTC has a lot fewer transactions per block. Mostly none besides the reward, actually.

There may be some truth to it, the average # of LTC transactions is somewhere 4~5 per block,
http://explorer.litecoin.net/chain/Litecoin

an equivalent of 20 transactions per BTC block. OTOH average BTC block has 130 transactions currently.

So, 6~7 times more data and only 2~3 times slower, BTC network doesn't look that bad after all.


Title: Re: Why doe LTC network sync much faster than BTC
Post by: bitcool on December 01, 2012, 03:01:04 PM
From what I understand, the thing that is difficult with the BTC chain isn't the transfer, but rather the verification on your local machine.
I doubt that, because it's stuck on certain blocks much longer than others and I doubt the numbers of transactions vary that much.