Blockchain technology continues to revolutionize industries by enabling secure, transparent, and decentralized data management. Among the most widely adopted enterprise blockchain platforms are Hyperledger Fabric and Ant Blockchain, both available through Alibaba Cloud’s Blockchain as a Service (BaaS). This article provides a comprehensive overview of their technical specifications, pricing models, and deployment options—helping businesses make informed decisions when selecting the right blockchain solution.
Whether you're exploring supply chain traceability, cross-organizational collaboration, or digital asset management, understanding the infrastructure costs and capabilities is essential. We’ll break down the core components, pricing structures, and use cases for both Ant Blockchain and Hyperledger Fabric on Alibaba Cloud BaaS.
Understanding Ant Blockchain: Architecture and Pricing
Ant Blockchain is a high-performance, enterprise-grade blockchain engine developed by Ant Group and integrated into Alibaba Cloud BaaS. It's optimized for large-scale commercial applications such as financial services, logistics tracking, and government digitalization projects.
Key Features of Ant Blockchain
- Built for enterprise-level security and scalability
- Supports smart contracts and multi-party consensus mechanisms
- Offers seamless integration with existing cloud infrastructure
- Designed for regulatory compliance in complex business environments
Pricing Model: Blockchain Instance
The primary cost factor for Ant Blockchain is the blockchain instance, which serves as the foundational runtime environment for your blockchain network.
Resource Overview
Each blockchain instance includes:
- 4 dedicated nodes (non-shared resources)
- Full control over CPU, memory, storage, and network
- High availability and performance stability due to resource isolation
This makes it ideal for mission-critical applications where uptime and transaction consistency are non-negotiable.
Deployment Workflow
- The business operator creates a consortium and establishes a blockchain instance.
- They then invite participants (business partners, agencies, etc.) to join.
- Each participant must have an Alibaba Cloud account and accept the invitation to become part of the network.
⚠️ Note: A single blockchain instance can only belong to one consortium at any given time.
Billing Method
- Subscription-based (Pay monthly or annually)
- No pay-as-you-go option available
Pricing Details
| Instance Tier | Included Nodes | Storage per Node | Region Coverage | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Edition | 4 nodes | 6TB per node | All regions | $160,000/year |
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This pricing reflects a premium offering tailored for large enterprises requiring massive data throughput and long-term reliability. For guidance on choosing the right configuration based on your business needs, refer to Alibaba Cloud’s official purchase guide.
Hyperledger Fabric: Flexible Consortium Networking
Hyperledger Fabric is an open-source, permissioned blockchain framework hosted under the Linux Foundation. It stands out for its modular architecture, allowing organizations to customize consensus mechanisms, privacy policies, and smart contract logic.
Core Components and Network Structure
A Fabric network on Alibaba Cloud BaaS consists of two types of instances:
- Consortium Instance – Created by the network operator (also known as the ordering service node).
- Organization Instance – Created by each participating organization (peer nodes).
🔗 A complete Fabric network requires 1 consortium instance + N organization instances (N ≥ 1)
Organizations that require full control over their nodes, ledgers, chaincode deployment, and user management should deploy their own organization instance. Those with simpler needs may share an instance to reduce costs.
Independent Account Management
Both consortium and organization instances can be created using:
- A single Alibaba Cloud account (for internal use)
- Multiple independent accounts (for multi-party collaboration)
This flexibility supports real-world scenarios like interbank settlements or multi-vendor supply chains.
Hyperledger Fabric Pricing Breakdown
Fabric pricing is divided into two main categories: network instances and additional storage.
Chargeable Item 1: Blockchain Network Instances
All instances are dedicated, ensuring stable performance without resource contention.
Pricing Table – Network Instances
| Instance Type | Specification | Free Storage | Billing Cycle | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consortium (Test Network) | Quick Experience Edition | 50GB | Monthly | $623 |
| Consortium | Basic Edition | 100GB | Monthly | $1,078 |
| Consortium | Enterprise Edition | 500GB | Monthly | $5,254 |
| Organization | Basic Edition | 100GB | Monthly | $735 |
| Organization | Enterprise Edition | 500GB | Monthly | $3,645 |
💡 Tip: The test network edition is suitable for development and proof-of-concept stages but not recommended for production environments.
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Organizations planning to scale should consider the enterprise-tier instances for enhanced performance and support.
Chargeable Item 2: Additional Storage Space
While each instance comes with a certain amount of free storage, actual business operations often exceed these limits.
How Extra Storage Works
- Uses Alibaba Cloud SSD Performance NAS for high-speed, reliable data persistence
- Automatically scales when usage exceeds the free tier
- Ensures zero downtime during expansion
Billing Method
- Pay-as-you-go, billed hourly (based on UTC+8)
- Charges calculated every full hour
- Ensure sufficient account balance to avoid service interruption
Pricing Formula
Hourly Cost = Allocated Storage (GB) × Hourly Rate- Standard rate: $0.34 per GB per month
- Hourly rate ≈ $0.000472 per GB/hour (calculated as 0.34 ÷ 30 ÷ 24)
For example:
- If you consume an extra 1TB (1,000 GB) for 24 hours:
- Cost = 1,000 × 0.000472 × 24 = $11.33/day
This granular billing model allows cost-efficient scaling based on actual usage patterns.
Core Keywords for SEO Optimization
To align with search intent and improve visibility, the following keywords have been naturally integrated throughout this article:
- Hyperledger Fabric
- Ant Blockchain
- blockchain pricing
- enterprise blockchain
- blockchain as a service (BaaS)
- consortium blockchain
- blockchain instance
- cloud blockchain solution
These terms reflect common queries from developers, IT decision-makers, and business strategists evaluating blockchain platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: What’s the difference between Ant Blockchain and Hyperledger Fabric?
A: Ant Blockchain is a proprietary enterprise solution optimized for high throughput and regulatory compliance in Chinese markets, while Hyperledger Fabric is an open-source framework offering greater customization and global interoperability.
Q2: Can I switch from a test network to a production-ready setup?
A: Yes. You can start with the Quick Experience Edition for testing and later upgrade to the Enterprise Edition by creating new instances with higher specifications.
Q3: Is shared storage secure across multiple organizations?
A: No—each organization’s data is isolated at the node level. Even if sharing infrastructure, ledgers and chaincodes remain private unless explicitly shared via channels.
Q4: How do I monitor my storage usage?
A: Use Alibaba Cloud’s monitoring dashboard to track real-time storage consumption, set alerts, and manage auto-scaling policies.
Q5: Are there any hidden fees beyond instance and storage costs?
A: No. The only charges are for blockchain instances (monthly/annual) and additional storage (hourly billing). Bandwidth and API calls are included within the instance pricing.
Q6: Can I use these services outside China?
A: Yes. Both Ant Blockchain and Hyperledger Fabric are available across multiple global regions via Alibaba Cloud’s international infrastructure.
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By understanding the specifications and pricing models of Ant Blockchain and Hyperledger Fabric, businesses can better align their technology choices with strategic goals. Whether prioritizing ease of deployment, regulatory compliance, or cross-border collaboration, Alibaba Cloud BaaS offers scalable solutions backed by robust cloud infrastructure.