Should each asset have its own chaincode in Fabric?

Question

The Chaincode for Developers tutorial uses only one chaincode.

I know multiple chaincode is supported as well, and the aforementioned tutorial uses a chaincode called SimpleAsset.

Does it imply that there is an expectation to have 1 chaincode for 1 asset? If my application involves several asset types (eg. Widgets and Gadgets), is the best practice to have a separate chaincode managing the lifecycle of each asset type? Or a single chaincode?

Answer 1

It is indeed possible to have one single chaincode for managing multiple assets. There is no fixed rule on how to map assets to chaincode, but here are some guidelines that I found to be useful:

• When assets are tightly coupled, I prefer to have a single chaincode to manage them, especially when the life cycle of one asset depends on the life cycle of another.

• If you expect a particular asset changes in its logic and life cycle then it is best to isolate it in its own chaincode. 

• Try to keep your chaincode small. 

• When the number of assets is less and there is not much logic in them, you should use a single chaincode.