At present, there are four methods for establishing a blockchain network, of which the community blockchain is the most popular.
Community blockchain
In the community blockchain, the consensus mechanism is controlled by pre-selected groups, such as corporate groups. Everyone can read the blockchain and submit transactions to the blockchain, or it can be restricted to participants. The Community Blockchain is considered a “licensed blockchain” and is suitable for use in the commercial sector.
Connection point picture representing a semi-private blockchain
Semi-private blockchain
The semi-private blockchain runs from a single enterprise that provides access to all users who meet the pre-set criteria. Although not truly decentralized, such licensed blockchains remain attractive in B2B use cases and government applications.
Private blockchain
The private blockchain is controlled by a single enterprise that decides who can read the blockchain, send transactions to the blockchain, and participate in a consensus mechanism. However, this blockchain is completely centralized and therefore only suitable for use as a sandbox environment and cannot be used for actual production.
Public blockchain
Everyone can read the public blockchain, send transactions to the public blockchain, or participate in a consensus mechanism for the public blockchain. The public blockchain does not require a license, each transaction is public, and the user can remain anonymous. Bitcoin and Ethereum are the most typical examples.