Traditional blockchains can be complex and slow, hindering widespread adoption. NEAR Protocol tackles these issues with a focus on usability and performance:

• Sharding Technology: NEAR utilizes sharding, a technique that distributes transaction processing across multiple shards (partitions) of the blockchain. This allows for faster transaction speeds and improved scalability compared to single-chain blockchains.
• Human-Readable Account Names: Unlike long and complex wallet addresses common on other blockchains, NEAR offers user-friendly account names, making it easier for people to interact with the platform.
• Low Transaction Fees: NEAR boasts low transaction fees, aiming to make it a cost-effective platform for developers and users alike.
• Developer-Friendly Tools: NEAR provides a robust set of developer tools and resources, streamlining the development process for creating decentralized applications (dApps) on the platform.
• Proof-of-Stake Consensus: NEAR utilizes a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, known for its energy efficiency and faster block times compared to Proof-of-Work (PoW) blockchains.