Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Kimiya Karimi Dehkordi
• Leila Samimi-Dehkordi
• Abbas Horri

Department of Computer Engineering, Shahrekord University

Abstract

Blockchain technology has revolutionized various industries by enabling decentralized, transparent, and secure systems for applications such as supply chain management, Internet of Things (IoT), and smart contracts. However, evaluating the performance of diverse blockchain systems remains challenging due to the absence of standardized metrics. This systematic review synthesizes findings from 55 peer-reviewed studies to develop a comprehensive taxonomy of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Our analysis reveals a critical trade-off: while Proof-of-Work systems (e.g., Bitcoin) offer superior security with hash rates exceeding 500 EH/s, they consume approximately 700 kWh per transaction—a sustainability gap of nearly two orders of magnitude compared to more efficient alternatives. Furthermore, we identify the IoT domain as the most vulnerable to the lack of standardization, where inconsistent KPIs for latency and throughput currently hinder real-time device coordination. We categorize 30 general KPIs into four dimensions—technical, security, economic, and user-centric—while identifying domain-specific KPIs tailored to applications like supply chain logistic, IoT, and smart contracts. Additionally, we map blockchain features required for measuring these KPIs, ensuring traceability to system properties. Derived from a rigorous systematic review of blockchain performance literature, our findings provide a holistic framework for assessing blockchain performance. This framework bridges technical and application- specific needs, offering actionable insights for researchers, developers, and industry practitioners to optimize blockchain systems across public, private, and hybrid architectures. The taxonomy and measurement features support standardized evaluation, paving the way for scalable and sustainable blockchain adoption in emerging domains like decentralized finance.

Keywords

• Blockchain
• Key Performance Indicators
• Systematic Review
• Performance Evaluation
• Domain-Specific Metrics

Main Subjects

• Cloud and Distributed Computing