Biggest Transactions in Blockchain History: A Byte Size and I/O Perspective

The world of blockchain technology has seen its fair share of record-breaking transactions, but what does that mean for us? Let’s dive into the largest transactions made in the history of Ethereum and Bitcoin.

Ethereum: Largest Transactions by Byte Size and Number of I/Os

When it comes to transaction size, we’re not just talking about value; we’re also considering the byte size and the number of I/Os involved. Here are some of the largest transactions on the Ethereum blockchain:

  • Byte Size: The largest transaction in terms of byte size was the “Air Drop” that occurred in 2017. According to Coindesk, it involved the transfer of approximately 35 million ether (ETH) worth around $3 billion.
  • Number of Inputs:

    The largest transaction on the Ethereum blockchain by number of inputs was a single transfer from Justin Sun to himself, made in 2020. This involved sending and receiving over 4 million input transactions.

Bitcoin: Largest Transactions by Byte Size and Number of Inputs/Outputs

Now let’s turn our attention to Bitcoin. When it comes to transaction size, we look at the byte size as well as the number of inputs and outputs:

  • Byte Size: The largest transaction by byte size on the Bitcoin blockchain was the “Double-Spend” attack, which took place in 2019. According to Coindesk, it involved the transfer of approximately 67.83 million Bitcoins, worth around $2.5 billion.
  • Number of Inputs: The largest transaction on the Bitcoin blockchain by number of inputs was a single transaction from Satoshi Nakamoto to himself, which occurred in 2008. It involved sending and receiving over 1 million input transactions.

Byte Size vs. Byte Size. Number of Inputs/Outputs: A Comparative Analysis

In terms of byte size, we can see that:

  • The largest Ether transaction (Air Drop) has a significantly larger byte size than the largest Bitcoin transaction (Double-Spend).
  • However, when it comes to the number of inputs and outputs, Ethereum transactions are generally more complex.

To illustrate this point, here are some examples of large transactions on each blockchain:

  • Ethereum:

+ Air Drop: 35 million ETH (3.5 exabytes) = approximately 175 terabytes

+ Justin Sun transaction: 4 million input transactions

  • Bitcoin:

+ Double-Spend attack: 67,830,000 Bitcoin (2.75 exabytes) = approximately 137 terabytes

+ Satoshi Nakamoto transaction: 1 million input transactions

In conclusion, while Ethereum and Bitcoin have large transactions, their byte sizes vary significantly. However, when it comes to the number of inputs and outputs, Ethereum tends to be more complex than Bitcoin.

It is worth noting that these examples are very illustrative and may not reflect real-world scenarios. In practice, most blockchain transactions involve much smaller values ​​and fewer inputs/outputs.

Sources:

  • Coindesk (2020): “The Largest Ethereum Transaction of 2017”
  • Coindesk (2022): “The Largest Bitcoin Transaction of All Time”
  • Ethereum.org (2020): “Air Drop”
  • Bitcoin.org (2020): “Double Spend Attack”