Should Dogecoin really depend on Litecoin? The debate takes place among developers

Dogecoin (DOGE) today finds itself at the center of a new technical debate. At the heart of the controversy: the dependence of the most capitalized memecoin in the world on Litecoin. Some developers argue that the crypto project must have full control over its infrastructure. Conversely, others (more pragmatic!) point out that this synergy guarantees an unrivaled level of security.

A crypto developer revives a twelve-year-old debate

On July 18, 2026, the developer of the Dogecoin Foundation Paulo Vidal posts a question on

According to Paulo Vidal, Dogecoin encourages merged mining (or merge mining) with other networks. However, it does not have its own independent mining. He deduces that the security of the crypto network therefore remains backed by another blockchain: Litecoin (LTC). The PoW algorithm of this project created by Charlie Lee in 2011 is identical to that of Dogecoin.

Crypto analysts agree on one point: this question is by no means trivial. In fact, it touches the heart of what makes a company robust. PoW-based crypto blockchain : the higher the hashrate, the more complex and expensive a 51% attack becomes to carry out.

Crypto developer Chromatic

In a post published on X on July 19, he firmly maintains that Dogecoin does not depend on Litecoin in particular, but on all level 1 (L1) cryptocurrencies using the Scrypt algorithm and practicing merged mining. This distinction changes the nature of the risk. In other words, Dogecoin is not hostage to a single project. It would rather be the beneficiary of a shared crypto mining ecosystem.

Chromatic X goes even further by stating:

Dogecoin should be able to secure itself from a philosophical position of purity alone, rather than from technical necessity.

Decryption: strictly autonomous mining would be more of an ideological principle than a security requirement, since the current system already fulfills this function effectively.

Merge mining between Dogecoin and Litecoin is not new

THE merged mining allows a crypto miner to simultaneously validate blocks on several different blockchains without additional expenditure of computing power or hardware. They must nevertheless share the same proof of work algorithm.

Technically, this relies on a protocol called Auxiliary Proof-of-Work (AuxPoW). The principle is as follows: the block mined on Litecoin embeds a cryptographic proof verifiable by the Dogecoin network. So, no need for any “social” validation of Litecoin. Dogecoin nodes only verify that the PoW meets their own rules.

Besides Dogecoin and Litecoin, other crypto projects using the Scrypt algorithm use the same mechanism. This is particularly the case with Namecoin.

THE merge mining between Dogecoin and Litecoin was activated in August 2014, after a proposal from Charlie Lee in the spring of the same year. Before this date, Dogecoin had a hashrate that was too low to sustainably resist a 51% attack.

The adoption of AuxPoW was an immediate game-changer: Dogecoin’s hashrate reportedly jumped by around 1,500% in the space of a month, according to a case study published by Binance Research. Twelve years later, this mutual dependence remains structuring. According to market estimates, more than 70% of the hash power of Dogecoin would indeed come today from mining merged with Litecoin.

What exactly the 2026 hashrate numbers for Dogecoin and Litecoin reveal

The hashrate represents the total computing power devoted to the crypto mining. The data published in June 2026 makes it possible to concretely measure the balance of power between Dogecoin and Litecoin.

• Dogecoin’s hashrate was moving between approximately 2.7 and 3.4 petahashes per second (PH/s) during this period, having peaked at 8.72 PH/s in February 2026 before stabilizing.
• For its part, Litecoin displayed a hashrate close to 2.7 PH/s at the beginning of June 2026.

This simply means that the two crypto networks evolve in comparable orders of magnitude. That is, their combined security relies on a largely common miner base rather than a simple submission of Dogecoin to Litecoin.

This proximity is partly explained by the deployment of new models of specialized integrated circuits (ASICs) compatible with Scrypt. The latter prove to be more powerful than previous generations. Enough to simultaneously strengthen mining activity on the two crypto blockchains.

Dogecoin co-founder also gives his views

Known by the pseudonym “Shibetoshi Nakamoto,” Billy Markus also intervened in the exchange. According to him, Dogecoin remains the cryptocurrency Scrypt the most profitable to mine. A remark that shifts the focus of the debate: it is not so much Dogecoin that would depend on Litecoin, but the opposite. He thus argues that many Scrypt miners would be attracted to Litecoin precisely because it allows them to also pocket DOGE at no additional cost.

This observation is consistent with that made by Timothy Stebbing, director of the Dogecoin Foundation. According to him, most Melt mined Scrypt crypto assets would actually depend on the monetary issuance of Dogecoin to remain economically viable to mine. Giving up on merge mining would therefore not only weaken Dogecoin, but also the ecosystem of Scrypt miners which has been built around this interdependence since 2014.

This approach challenges the idea that there is one blockchain above the other. Indeed, it is not a one-way dependency relationship. It would rather be an economic balance where each crypto network brings something to the other: Litecoin provides hashing power and Dogecoin attractive mining profitability.

What would happen if Dogecoin left merged crypto mining?

Crypto analysts are counting on three possible scenarios.

• Scenario 1 Dogecoin deactivates AuxPoW: Scrypt miners continue to mine Litecoin, but lose DOGE rewards. The Scrypt hashrate falls. Dogecoin must attract dedicated miners. Which would cost millions in infrastructure and electricity. Likelihood: Almost zero, as no key developers support this idea.
• Scenario 2 a hybrid transition: THE “Sakura” project mentioned by the Dogecoin Foundation explores a hybrid PoW/PoS model. But the developers reiterated that this is not about abolishing mining, only adding layer 2 staking incentives. PoW would remain the basic security mechanism. Probability: possible, but in the long term.
• Scenario 3 merge mining continues: the Scrypt hashrate grows. Dogecoin remains the most profitable Scrypt crypto. This is the most likely scenario, supported by the economic and technical arguments of current crypto developers.

In any case, the debate around merge mining does not call into question the current security of Dogecoin. Rather, it reveals two visions of its future: preserving a proven model or aiming for total independence.