MiniLedger vs Hyperledger Fabric: A Developer's Honest Comparison

Hyperledger Fabric is the most widely deployed enterprise blockchain platform. It's battle-tested, feature-rich, and backed by the Linux Foundation. So why would anyone consider an alternative?

The short answer: complexity cost. For many use cases, Fabric's operational overhead outweighs its benefits. Here's an honest breakdown.

Setup and First Transaction

Hyperledger Fabric

Getting a Fabric network running requires:

1. Install Docker and Docker Compose
2. Install Go (for chaincode)
3. Download Fabric binaries and Docker images
4. Generate crypto material with cryptogen
5. Create channel configuration with configtxgen
6. Write docker-compose.yaml for orderer, peers, CAs
7. Start the network
8. Create a channel
9. Join peers to the channel
10. Install chaincode on each peer
11. Approve and commit chaincode

Realistic time from zero to first transaction: hours to days, depending on experience.

MiniLedger

npm install miniledger
npx miniledger init
npx miniledger start

# Submit a transaction
curl -X POST http://localhost:4441/tx \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"key": "account:alice", "value": {"balance": 1000}}'

Time from zero to first transaction: under a minute.

Smart Contracts

Fabric Chaincode

Fabric chaincode is written in Go, Java, or Node.js. It requires a specific structure, builds into a Docker container, and goes through a multi-step lifecycle (install, approve, commit) across organizations.

func (s *SmartContract) CreateAsset(ctx contractapi.TransactionContextInterface, id string, value int) error {
    asset := Asset{ID: id, Value: value}
    assetJSON, err := json.Marshal(asset)
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    return ctx.GetStub().PutState(id, assetJSON)
}

MiniLedger Contracts

MiniLedger contracts are plain JavaScript functions. Deploy them with a single API call:

return {
  createAsset(ctx, id, value) {
    if (ctx.get("asset:" + id)) throw new Error("Already exists");
    ctx.set("asset:" + id, { id, value, owner: ctx.sender });
  },
  transfer(ctx, id, newOwner) {
    const asset = ctx.get("asset:" + id);
    if (!asset) throw new Error("Not found");
    if (asset.owner !== ctx.sender) throw new Error("Not owner");
    asset.owner = newOwner;
    ctx.set("asset:" + id, asset);
  }
}

The contract context provides get(), set(), del(), sender, blockHeight, timestamp, and log(). No build step, no container packaging.

State Queries

Fabric

Fabric supports CouchDB for rich queries, but it requires deploying CouchDB alongside each peer and writing queries in CouchDB's Mango query language:

{
  "selector": {
    "docType": "asset",
    "owner": "alice"
  }
}

With LevelDB (the default), you're limited to key-range queries only.

MiniLedger

MiniLedger's world state lives in SQLite. You write standard SQL:

SELECT key, value FROM world_state
WHERE key LIKE 'asset:%'
AND json_extract(value, '$.owner') = 'alice'
ORDER BY updated_at DESC

Query via the REST API, CLI, programmatic API, or the built-in SQL console in the dashboard. No additional database to deploy. Check the SQL queries guide for more examples.

Privacy

Fabric

Fabric uses channels for privacy — separate ledgers for different groups of participants. This provides strong isolation but adds significant complexity: each privacy group requires its own channel with its own configuration.

Private Data Collections offer finer-grained control but are complex to configure.

MiniLedger

MiniLedger uses per-record ACLs with AES-256-GCM encryption. Each record can have its own access control:

• owner: the record creator
• readers: public keys that can decrypt and read
• writers: public keys that can modify
• public: flag for unencrypted records

This is simpler than channels for most use cases. See the privacy guide for details.

Consensus

Fabric

Fabric uses a Raft-based ordering service (separate from peers) that orders transactions into blocks. It's production-proven and supports crash fault tolerance.

MiniLedger

MiniLedger also uses Raft, but with a simpler architecture: Raft log entries are block proposals. The leader proposes blocks, replicates them to followers, and commits when a majority acknowledges. No separate orderer process.

For single-node development, MiniLedger also supports a "solo" consensus mode that produces blocks on a timer.

Read the consensus architecture for implementation details.

Governance

Fabric

Channel configuration changes require manual coordination between organizations: create a config update transaction, collect signatures from required organizations, submit the update. This is typically done with CLI scripts.

MiniLedger

MiniLedger has on-chain governance: proposals are submitted as transactions, votes are recorded on the ledger, and approved proposals are automatically executed. Proposal types include adding/removing peers, updating configuration, and upgrading contracts.

When to Use Fabric

Fabric is the right choice when:

• You need a production-proven platform with years of enterprise deployments
• Your organization has the infrastructure team to operate Docker/Kubernetes
• You need Fabric-specific features like private data collections or Fabric CA
• You're working with partners who are already on Fabric
• You need formal support contracts from IBM or other vendors

When to Use MiniLedger

MiniLedger is the right choice when:

• You want a private blockchain without infrastructure overhead
• Your team is Node.js/TypeScript native and doesn't want to learn Go
• You need an embeddable ledger inside an existing application
• You want SQL queryability without deploying CouchDB
• You're building a prototype or MVP and need to move fast
• You need a lightweight alternative for smaller-scale deployments

The Honest Assessment

Hyperledger Fabric is more mature, more battle-tested, and has a larger ecosystem. If you're a Fortune 500 company with a blockchain team, Fabric is a safe choice.

MiniLedger is for everyone else — teams that want the benefits of a private blockchain without the operational complexity. It's not a Fabric replacement; it's a Fabric alternative for a different audience.

See the full comparison table for a detailed feature-by-feature breakdown.

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Ready to try MiniLedger? Start with npx miniledger demo to see a 3-node cluster with smart contracts, or read the installation guide.