#BTCvsETH ### **1. Bitcoin (BTC)**

- **Purpose**: Primarily a **store of value** and **digital gold**.

- **Consensus Mechanism**: **Proof of Work (PoW)**—energy-intensive mining.

- **Supply Cap**: **21 million BTC** (hard-coded scarcity).

- **Transaction Speed**: ~7 transactions per second (slow).

- **Smart Contracts**: Limited functionality (basic scripting).

- **Market Dominance**: The largest cryptocurrency by market cap.

### **2. Ethereum (ETH)**

- **Purpose**: A **smart contract platform** for decentralized apps (dApps), DeFi, NFTs, etc.

- **Consensus Mechanism**: **Proof of Stake (PoS)** since Ethereum 2.0 (more energy-efficient).

- **Supply Cap**: No hard cap, but issuance is controlled (deflationary post-EIP-1559).

- **Transaction Speed**: ~15-30 TPS (faster than Bitcoin, but can get congested).

- **Smart Contracts**: Fully programmable (Turing-complete).

- **Market Position**: Second-largest crypto, known for innovation.