#NERO NERO Chain (native token NERO) and Celestia (native token TIA) are both based on modular design, but there are significant differences in their core positioning, technical paths, and ecological focuses, which can be compared in the following aspects:

1. Core Positioning: Layer1 vs Modular Infrastructure

- Celestia (TIA):
The essence is the "infrastructure layer for modular blockchains", leaning more towards the data availability layer (DA layer). It does not directly handle smart contract execution or consensus logic, but focuses on providing secure and efficient data storage and verification services for other blockchains (such as Layer2 and application chains). In simple terms, Celestia is the "underlying database for blockchains", allowing other chains to focus on the execution layer (such as transactions and smart contracts) without having to rebuild the data layer, thereby reducing development costs.
Its modularization is reflected in the "separation of data availability and execution", making it the "infrastructure provider" of the modular ecosystem.
- NERO Chain (NERO):
It is an EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain that integrates a complete set of modular components (execution layer, settlement layer, data layer, etc.) with the goal of becoming a "one-stop user-friendly public chain." Its modularity is aimed at flexible expansion and functional optimization of its own chain (such as supporting any token for Gas payment, smart contract wallets, etc.), rather than providing infrastructure for other chains.
Its positioning is more towards "an application platform that directly serves users and developers", with modularization being a means to enhance its own performance and user experience.

2. Technical Path: Functional Optimization vs Infrastructure Separation

- The modular logic of Celestia:
The core technology is "Data Availability Sampling (DAS)", which separates the "data layer" of the blockchain, allowing any execution layer (such as Rollup or application chain) to rely on it for data storage and verification, thus achieving a "minimal blockchain"—the execution layer only needs to handle transactions while data security is entrusted to Celestia. The advantage of this design is to maximize infrastructure reuse and reduce the threshold and cost of blockchain development, making it particularly suitable for Layer 2 and customized application chains.
- The modular logic of NERO Chain:
Modularity is reflected in the split and upgradeability of on-chain components (such as using ZK Rollup in the execution layer to improve speed, the settlement layer being compatible with Ethereum, and optimizing storage efficiency in the data layer), while also integrating unique features (such as the Paymaster system and developer revenue sharing). Its core is to optimize its performance and user experience as a Layer 1 through a modular design, for example, supporting multi-token payment of Gas, simplifying user operations, and being closer to Web 2 usage habits.

3. Ecological Focus: Serving Developers vs Serving Applications and Users

- Celestia (TIA):
The ecosystem revolves around "modular infrastructure" with the goal of attracting more developers to build new blockchains (such as Layer2 and application chains) based on its DA layer, forming a "modular network cluster with Celestia as the data core." The value of the TIA token is linked to the number of chains relying on its data layer and the amount of data storage in the ecosystem, leaning more towards "the use of infrastructure and security maintenance (such as staking)."
- NERO Chain (NERO):
The ecological focus is to "attract applications and users to land directly on the chain," promoting the development of applications such as games, DeFi, and real-world assets (RWA) on its chain through optimizing user experience (such as gasless experience and smart contract wallets) and developer incentives (revenue sharing). The value of the NERO token is more related to on-chain transaction activity, application ecosystem scale, and user growth, leaning more towards "the native asset use of the public chain (payment, staking, governance)."

4. Summary: Complementarity is greater than competitiveness.

The modular design of both serves different purposes:

- Celestia is the "foundational data pillar" of a modular ecosystem, providing infrastructure for other chains, and is considered an "ecosystem enabler";
- NERO Chain is a modularly designed "application platform" that directly serves users and applications through its own components optimization, and is considered an "ecosystem participant."

In the future, the two may even exist in synergy: for example, if NERO Chain wishes to further expand its data layer performance, it could theoretically integrate Celestia's DA services (although currently its data layer is self-built), and Celestia's ecosystem may also see application chains based on a logic similar to NERO. The core difference is that one is a "provider of modular infrastructure" and the other is a "modular design application public chain."