I just realized something quite interesting while following the crypto market recently. Almost everyone talks about blockchain performance, but few truly understand what TPS is and why it determines the success or failure of a Web3 project.

Simply put, what is TPS? It is the number of transactions a blockchain network can process in one second. This figure determines whether your application runs smoothly or gets clogged up like busy-city streets during rush hour. To give a sense of scale, traditional payment systems like VISA handle about 1,500 to 2,000 TPS—that is the benchmark blockchains have to try to catch up to.

But here’s the issue: Bitcoin only reaches about 5 TPS, and Ethereum is also only around 10 TPS. Why is that? Because decentralization has a price—when you want high security and transparency, speed is often sacrificed. That’s why “what is TPS” isn’t a simple question; there’s an entire tradeoff system behind it.

Many blockchains have tried to solve this problem. Hedera currently reaches 1,909 TPS, Solana is 777 TPS, and Tron is around 91 TPS. Each one has a different approach—some optimize block size, some use off-chain solutions. But every choice has its own consequences for decentralization.

For DeFi, gaming, and NFTs, high TPS is truly a matter of life and death. Users can’t tolerate latency—they expect an experience comparable to traditional web2 applications. Slow transactions only mean congestion, higher gas fees, and ultimately users leaving.

But here’s what I want to emphasize: high TPS isn’t everything. The balance between speed, security, and decentralization is the key. A network with high TPS but overly centralized is just a fast database, not a real blockchain. As technology continues to evolve, the projects that can solve this “triangle” will be the winners in the Web3 race.