A Literature Review of Smart Contract Performance Across Blockchain Environments

Abstract

Smart contracts have become an important component of blockchain ecosystems because they enable automated, transparent, and decentralized digital processes. However, their performance varies across blockchain environments due to differences in architecture, consensus mechanisms, transaction costs, scalability, security, governance, and interoperability. Existing studies often examine isolated performance indicators or individual blockchain platforms, limiting comprehensive cross-platform understanding. This study aims to comparatively analyze smart contract performance across major blockchain platforms, identify technical and contextual factors influencing performance, and synthesize emerging research trends and future research opportunities. A Structured Literature Review was conducted using literature obtained from Scopus, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, SpringerLink, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. Peer-reviewed English publications from 2020–2026 were selected through a PRISMA-based screening process. The reviewed studies were systematically analyzed based on blockchain platforms, application domains, performance metrics, security, governance, scalability, and interoperability. The review identifies Ethereum, BNB Chain, Solana, Polygon, Hyperledger Fabric, and Avalanche as major platforms with distinct performance characteristics and trade-offs. Throughput, latency, transaction cost, and scalability are prominent technical dimensions, while security, governance, and interoperability provide essential contextual perspectives. The findings indicate that no single platform consistently provides superior performance across all application requirements. Smart contract performance should be evaluated using a multidimensional approach rather than a single technical indicator. Future research should emphasize interoperability, Layer-2 scalability, cross-chain smart contracts, security assurance, and governance to support more comprehensive blockchain performance evaluation.