# Centralized vs. Decentralized: Performance Comparison between BigchainDB and Amazon QLDB
## 5 Case Study  
The present paper highlights the use of centralized and decentralized ledgers for the implementation of a traceability platform, entitled Smart Tracking Platform (STP) [4], that enables users to track and trace assets along value chains. In order to develop a track and trace application, the database technology that best fits the specific requirements must be established. The examination of the scientific literature revealed a scarcity of relevant data for selecting the best solution for the proposed application in terms of performance and cost. In recent years, distributed ledger technology has been regarded as one of the most disruptive technologies. However, as some studies have pointed out, this technology is not the best solution for all problems. For example, in [43], the authors examined the track-and-trace activities in supply chains to identify the instances where the distributed ledger technology could be used. Thus, based on \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline
**Criteria** & **BigchainDB** & **QLDB** \\ \hline Support of multiple assets & Yes & Yes \\ \hline Scalability & Yes & Provide API for quick node creation \\ \hline Open source & Yes & No \\ \hline Consensus & \begin{tabular}{c} Byzantine fault tolerance \\ (BFT) \\ \end{tabular} & No multi-party consensus \\ \hline Implementation language & Python & \begin{tabular}{c} PartiQL server-side query \\ language (_partial_) \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline Server operating systems & Linux & Serverless \\ \hline Hosted on & Azure & AWS \\ \hline Supported programming & Go, Haskell, Java, JavaScript, & Java,.NET, Go, Node.js, Python \\ \hline Throughput (max TPS) & \textless{}100 & 1K+ \\ \hline Major user & \
\begin{tabular}{c} Recruit Technologies, e.ON \\ innogy, BenBen, Siemens \\ \end{tabular} &
\begin{tabular}{c} Liberty Mutual insurance, \\ Splunk, Klara Bank, Driver \\ and Vehicle Licensing Agency, \\ ArcBlock, VeriDoc Global, \\ Kongo, Zilliant, Acenture, \\ Realm \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 6: _Cont._the examined case studies, the authors concluded that distributed ledger technology is only required in extreme cases, such as when data immutability is mandatory, and all companies that have been directly associated with a dataset have been willing to delete it. A distributed ledger can provide value in some situations, such as in tracking external needs. The authors advise that other options, such as digital signatures, should be investigated in these cases. The paper also identified some cases when distributed ledger technology is considered ineffective, such as for hardware tracking and tracing within a company, as well as the tracking and tracing strictly for internal purposes. The present paper has considered alternatives to distributed ledger technology for the implementation of a traceability platform, which enables SMEs from various industries to track and trace assets across value chains. In some industries, transparency is considered an advantage for building trust around the stakeholders, for example, in the medical sector or non-profit organizations dedicated to charitable causes. In STP, we have considered integrating both a decentralized and a centralized solution. The decentralized solution (BigchainDB) is intended to be used by organizations that seek to achieve an advanced level of transparency, free from a central authority, and the centralized (QLDB) solution is intended to provide transparency across their value chain with a central authority. Traceability and product tracking in an Information Technology (IT) company has served as the case study for the evaluation of the comparison criteria taken into account. A first step was to identify the specific challenges (SC) of the track and trace service that the proposed platform should address, such as:  
* SC1. Transparency--having in view that different supply chain partners manage different sources of data, there is a need for transparency in terms of the product information to be tracked within a supply chain. * SC2.