The Use of Blockchain for Digital Archives: a comparison between Ethereum and Hyperledger

In recent years, blockchain technology is progressively spreading on a large scale in variousresearch sectors, including Cultural Heritage. Different types of blockchain exist, which can beclassified either according to the type of users that can access them, or based on the featuresthey offer. This article describes a theoretical study in which two very different blockchains arecompared: Ethereum and Hyperledger, in order to define which of the two is more suitable forstoring tangible heritage contained in digital archives. After a brief description of the twotechnologies, a possible generic application scenario will be described in order to understandwhich of the two technologies best meets the requirements of the scenario. The comparisonbetween the two blockchains will therefore be carried out on the basis of general issues,architectural requirements and various considerations. As a result of the comparison, it willemerge that Hyperledger Fabric is more suitable in the context of digital archives.