Comparative Performance Analysis of Hyperledger Fabric and Hyperledger Besu

The integration of blockchain technology with Internet of Things (IoT) systems has emergedas a promising solution for addressing data integrity, provenance, and trust challenges in sensor networks.Permissioned blockchain platforms offer advantages over public chains for enterprise IoT deployments,including controlled access, better performance, and privacy features. However, there exists limited empiricalevidence comparing their performance characteristics for IoT-specific workloads. This study presents acomprehensive performance evaluation of Hyperledger Fabric and Hyperledger Besu, two leading permis-sioned blockchain platforms, specifically designed for IoT sensor applications. We developed realistic IoTscenarios including concurrent sensor deployments, environmental monitoring with automated actuation,and long-term stability assessment. Using Hyperledger Caliper for benchmarking and physical IoT hardwarefor validation, we conducted over 1,500 experimental runs across six performance dimensions: baselineperformance, network scalability, concurrent sensor workloads, fault tolerance, energy efficiency, and real-time response. We measured latency, throughput, recovery time, energy consumption, and end-to-endsensor-to-actuator response across multiple network configurations and failure scenarios. Our findingsreveal fundamental performance trade-offs rooted in architectural differences between the platforms. Fabricdemonstrates superior latency and fault recovery characteristics, while Besu exhibits better energy efficiencyand power consumption. Both platforms showed graceful scalability and robust fault tolerance. These resultschallenge the assumption of universal platform superiority, demonstrating that optimal selection dependscritically on application requirements. Time-critical IoT applications requiring rapid response should favorFabric, while energy-constrained deployments benefit from Besu’s efficiency. This study provides practicalguidance for evidence-based blockchain platform selection in IoT deployments.