You may have encountered a situation like this:

In on-chain transfers, why do some chains arrive in seconds while others take several minutes or even longer?

In fact, this is closely related to the blockchain's 'block generation speed.'

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Blockchain Review

•Block = A page of an account book

•Miner/Node = The person who helps everyone keep accounts

•Block generation = Writing action

Every transaction must be written into a block, this step is crucial—it determines whether the transaction is truly completed and recognized by the entire network.

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Transaction success ≠ Truly completed

When you initiate a transaction (for example, transferring 10 tokens to a friend):

1. Submit the transaction from your wallet

2. Nodes first verify whether the transaction is valid (is the balance sufficient?)

At this point, the transaction is only in a 'pending status' and is not considered complete. If it is not written into a block, the transaction may be discarded or tampered with.

Written into a block = Transaction confirmed by the entire network and permanently recorded

• Block generation → Transaction is packaged and validated

• Global ledger update → Transaction permanently recorded

• If not written into a block, the transaction is not considered truly complete

💡 Analogy to banks:

• Fill in transfer information → Submit transaction

• Bank queues handling → Node validation

• Transfer completed → Transaction completed and immutable

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So why are some chains slow?

Slow block generation speed → Transaction queues → Feels like the transaction is slow

Fast block generation speed → Transactions are almost instantaneous

Block generation speed mainly depends on the design of the chain, not the current transaction volume:

• Block generation time: generates a block every few seconds

• Block capacity: How many transactions each block can hold

The current high transaction volume only makes you more aware of the 'queuing' phenomenon; what truly determines speed is the chain design.

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So why not design it to be super fast from the beginning?

Blockchain design must balance between speed / security / decentralization (Blockchain Trilemma):

• Super fast → May sacrifice security or decentralization

• Steady → May sacrifice speed

In summary: Fast chains are not necessarily better; they simply trade risk for experience speed.

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Summary (Final Version) 👩‍🏫

• Written into a block = Transaction truly completed: confirmed by the entire network, permanently recorded

• Block generation speed determines transaction waiting time: slow chains queue longer, fast chains complete in a few seconds

• Block generation speed is determined by chain design: speed, security, and decentralization cannot all be maximized simultaneously

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Forward this to your friend who always complains, 'Why is my transaction so slow?'

🧐 Tomorrow we will discuss:

How to determine whether a blockchain is truly excellent? Three simplest entry indicators.