Performance Analysis of Inter-Blockchain Communication Token Transfer Times Among Hub and Zone Chains
Takaaki Yanagihara, Akihiro Fujihara · 2025
With the advancement of blockchain technology, there is an increasing demand for blockchain interoperability solutions that enable fast and secure data exchange between blockchains developed through diverse processes. However, such solutions are often tailored to specific use cases, underscoring the need for more versatile and standardized protocols. Efficient inter-blockchain communication is critical for the scalability and usability of blockchain ecosystems, enabling seamless integration across diverse networks. In response to this demand, initiatives such as the Cosmos ecosystem have emerged, aiming to achieve enhanced security and faster interoperability. The Cosmos ecosystem utilizes the inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol to enable seamless interaction between heterogeneous blockchains. This study examines the IBC protocol, the core interoperability technology within the Cosmos ecosystem, and evaluates the transaction transfer times of IBC. The evaluation utilized real blockchain data to measure the distribution of transfer times, using approximately 50,000 transactions originating from Cosmos Hub and Osmosis. The findings reveal the statistical characteristics of IBC token transfer times within the Cosmos ecosystem. Specifically, in the IBC transfers from Cosmos Hub to Osmosis, the IBC transfer time distribution exhibits a peak at approximately 15 s, while the Gumbel or Fréchet distribution yields the lowest Akaike Information Criterion value, depending on the IBC section. Moreover, the results of this study confirm that IBC transfer performance has improved compared to the experiments conducted in June 2022. These findings provide insights for optimizing the performance of IBC and guiding future enhancements to improve cross-chain communication within blockchain networks.