BigchainDB vs Tendermint: What are the differences?

<BigchainDB vs Tendermint>

1. **Consensus Mechanism**: BigchainDB uses a federated consensus mechanism where a fixed set of nodes are predetermined to validate transactions, while Tendermint utilizes a practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) consensus algorithm that allows for nodes to be dynamically added or removed.
2. **Interface**: BigchainDB provides an interface for asset issuance and transfer similar to a traditional database, supporting high throughput and low latency for read and write operations. In contrast, Tendermint offers a blockchain consensus engine that can be used with various applications to achieve consensus on the order of transactions.
3. **Scalability**: BigchainDB is designed for high throughput, enabling thousands of transactions per second, especially geared towards applications requiring fast data processing. Tendermint focuses on scalability in terms of the number of validators, allowing for more dynamic governance structures and larger validator sets.
4. **Consistency vs Partition Tolerance**: BigchainDB prioritizes consistency in transactions, ensuring that all nodes have consistent data, whereas Tendermint focuses on partition tolerance, allowing the network to continue operating even if some nodes experience communication failures.
5. **Smart Contracts**: BigchainDB does not natively support smart contracts, while Tendermint facilitates the execution of smart contracts through the use of a separate module such as Cosmos SDK or Ethermint.
6. **Permissioning**: BigchainDB is permissioned by default, requiring permission to access and participate in the network, whereas Tendermint provides the option for both permissioned and permissionless configurations, offering flexibility in network governance.

In Summary, BigchainDB and Tendermint differ in their consensus mechanisms, interfaces, scalability approaches, consistency goals, smart contract support, and permissioning models.