4.4[Blockchain Technology](https://wealtii.com/learn) # Types of Blockchains: Public, Private, Consortium & Hybrid By [Zayd Ahmed](https://wealtii.com/editorial-policy#zayd-ahmed), Founder & CEO, Wealtii · Published 12 February 2026 · Last reviewed 21 October 2026 The four main **types of blockchains** are public, private, consortium and hybrid. They differ in who may read the ledger, who may submit transactions and, above all, who may produce blocks. NIST groups them into two camps: permissionless networks that anyone can join, and permissioned networks where an owner or consortium approves participants. ## What is the difference between permissionless and permissioned blockchains? NIST's Blockchain Technology Overview defines permissionless networks as "decentralized ledger platforms open to anyone publishing blocks, without needing permission from any authority." The software is usually open source, and anyone can read the chain and submit transactions. Because anyone can join, these networks need a costly consensus mechanism such as Proof of Work or Proof of Stake to stop attackers flooding them with fake identities. If you need a refresher on the basics, start with [what a blockchain is](https://wealtii.com/learn/what-is-blockchain). Permissioned networks restrict who may publish blocks, and sometimes who may read or transact. NIST compares a permissioned blockchain to a corporate intranet and a permissionless one to the public internet. Because participants are known, permissioned networks can use lighter consensus models such as round robin or Proof of Authority, but users have to trust the operators. ## What are the four types of blockchains? | Type | Who can produce blocks | Who can read and transact | Typical consensus | Examples | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Public | Anyone who meets the protocol rules (hardware or stake) | Anyone | Proof of Work, Proof of Stake | Bitcoin, Ethereum | | Private | Approved nodes of one organisation | Invited users only | Proof of Authority, round robin, BFT | A company's internal Hyperledger Fabric or private Ethereum network | | Consortium | Nodes run by a group of member organisations | Members, sometimes auditors or regulators | BFT voting, Proof of Authority | Walmart's food-traceability network with suppliers, built with IBM on Hyperledger Fabric | | Hybrid | A permissioned group that publishes selected data or proofs to a public chain | Private data stays internal; the anchors are public | Mixed | Enterprise record systems that anchor hashes to a public blockchain | ## What are the pros and cons of each type? ### Public blockchains Public chains offer open access, resistance to censorship and a history anyone can verify, and their native tokens trade on open markets. The costs are lower throughput on the base layer, fees that rise with demand, slow and contested governance, and limited privacy, since every transaction is visible. ### Private blockchains A private chain is fast, keeps data confidential and is easy to control. But the owner governs the network and can change or censor records, so it offers little that a replicated database with good access controls cannot, and outsiders cannot verify it. ### Consortium blockchains Consortium chains suit companies that share a process but not full trust, because one shared record cuts reconciliation. In Walmart's pilot, tracing the origin of mangoes fell from 7 days to 2.2 seconds. The hard part is getting a whole industry to join: Maersk and IBM announced in November 2022 that they would shut down the TradeLens shipping platform, citing a lack of full global industry collaboration. ### Hybrid blockchains Hybrid designs keep sensitive data private while publishing hashes or proofs to a public chain, so outsiders can confirm records have not changed without seeing them. They add complexity, and users still have to trust whoever runs the private part. ## Where does BNB Smart Chain fit? Real networks blur these categories. BNB Smart Chain is public: anyone can read it, send transactions and deploy smart contracts. Block production, however, is limited to an active set of 45 validators ranked by staked BNB, under a model called Proof of Staked Authority. That makes it faster and cheaper than Ethereum's base layer, at the cost of a much smaller validator set. Read [what BNB Smart Chain is and how it works](https://wealtii.com/learn/what-is-bnb-chain) for more. **Why this matters for Wealtii users:** Wealtii's fund vault is a 3-of-3 multi-signature wallet on BNB Smart Chain. Because the chain is public, anyone can check the vault's holdings using the address on [Wealtii's transparency page](https://wealtii.com/transparency), which a private blockchain could not offer. ## Which type of blockchain fits which job? NIST suggests a blockchain may suit systems with many distributed participants, no trusted third party, transaction-based workflows, a need for a shared tamper-evident history, or a wish to reduce manual reconciliation. If those participants include the general public, a public chain makes sense. If they are a known group of companies, a consortium chain may fit. If one organisation controls everything, a private blockchain adds little over a well-run database. Our list of [real-world blockchain use cases](https://wealtii.com/learn/blockchain-real-world-use-cases) shows where each model is used today. ## Which blockchain types matter for investors? Most investable crypto assets are native tokens of public blockchains, or tokens issued on them. Private and consortium networks usually have no freely traded token, so their adoption does not translate directly into an investable asset. When you assess a public chain, look at its consensus design and validator count (see [how consensus mechanisms compare](https://wealtii.com/learn/blockchain-consensus-mechanisms)), how decentralised it is in practice (see [decentralisation in crypto explained](https://wealtii.com/learn/decentralization-explained)) and who can change its rules. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What are the main types of blockchain? The four main types are public, private, consortium and hybrid. Public blockchains are open to anyone, private ones are run by a single organisation, consortium chains are shared by a group of organisations, and hybrid designs combine private data with public verification. ### Is Bitcoin a public or private blockchain? Bitcoin is a public, permissionless blockchain. Anyone can read it, send transactions, run a node or mine blocks without asking for permission. ### What is a consortium blockchain? A consortium blockchain is a permissioned network run jointly by a group of organisations, such as companies in one supply chain. Members operate the nodes and agree the rules, which reduces reconciliation between them but requires shared governance. ### Are private blockchains more secure than public ones? Not necessarily. A private blockchain limits who can join, which keeps outsiders away, but its operator can change or censor records. A large public blockchain is open to attack attempts but very costly to rewrite, and anyone can verify its history. ## Sources & References 1. [NIST IR 8202 — Blockchain Technology Overview, section 2: Blockchain Categorization (2018)](https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8202) (accessed 21 Oct 2026) 2. [ethereum.org — Proof of Authority (private networks and testnets)](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/consensus-mechanisms/poa/) (accessed 21 Oct 2026) 3. [LF Decentralized Trust — Walmart food traceability case study (Hyperledger Fabric)](https://www.lfdecentralizedtrust.org/case-studies/walmart-case-study) (accessed 21 Oct 2026) 4. [A.P. Moller - Maersk — Maersk and IBM to discontinue TradeLens (29 Nov 2022)](https://www.maersk.com/news/articles/2022/11/29/maersk-and-ibm-to-discontinue-tradelens) (accessed 21 Oct 2026) 5. [BNB Chain Docs — BNB Smart Chain introduction](https://docs.bnbchain.org/bnb-smart-chain/introduction/) (accessed 21 Oct 2026) Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Digital assets are volatile and carry risk of loss. Wealtii is early-stage and is not regulated by any financial authority. ## Further reading from official sources - [NIST: Blockchain Technology Overview](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/ir/8202/final) - [Bitcoin white paper](https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf) [Zayd Ahmed](https://wealtii.com/editorial-policy#zayd-ahmed) Founder & CEO, Wealtii Computer Science Engineer | 5+ Years in DeFi & Digital Assets