On-Chain vs Off-Chain Orderbooks · Trading Architecture · 4/4
Trading Architecture — Quiz
Test your understanding of CEX vs DEX architecture and the tradeoffs involved.
1. What is the primary custody tradeoff when trading on a CEX vs a DEX?
On a CEX, you deposit funds into the exchange's wallets — they hold the keys. On a DEX like Hyperliquid, balances are on-chain state controlled by your own keys and governed by deterministic protocol rules. The risk shifts from counterparty risk (FTX-style collapse) to protocol, bridge, and validator risk, which is more visible and inspectable.
2. Why does Hyperliquid have zero gas fees for trading?
Hyperliquid built its own Layer 1 where order placement and cancellation are native actions of the chain (HyperCore), not smart contract calls, so they pay no gas. Trading fees are charged only on fills, and spam is limited by address-based rate limits. Market makers can update quotes frequently without gas costs, supporting tighter spreads.
3. What does "composability" mean in the context of DEXs, and why can't CEXs offer it?
Composability means other smart contracts and protocols can programmatically interact with the DEX — for example, HyperEVM contracts reading HyperCore positions and prices or placing orders through CoreWriter. CEXs are walled gardens where all interaction goes through APIs the exchange controls and can revoke.