Should Dogecoin Really Depend on Litecoin? The Debate Among Developers

Dogecoin (DOGE) is at the center of a new technical debate today. At the heart of the controversy is the world's most capitalized memecoin's dependence on Litecoin. Some developers argue that the crypto project should fully control its infrastructure. Conversely, others (more pragmatic!) remind us that this synergy guarantees an unparalleled level of security.

In brief

• On July 18, 2026, developer Paulo Vidal reignites the debate on Dogecoin's dependence on Litecoin for its security.
• Crypto developer Chromatic X corrects him: Dogecoin depends on all Scrypt mined cryptocurrencies in merged mining, not just Litecoin.
• Co-founder Billy Markus reminds us that Dogecoin remains the most profitable Scrypt crypto to mine.
• The Dogecoin Foundation highlights an inverse dependence.

A crypto developer reignites a twelve-year-old debate

On July 18, 2026, Dogecoin Foundation developer Paulo Vidal posts a question on X. This sparks a technical controversy: Should Dogecoin really depend on Litecoin for its security, or can it one day free itself from it?

According to Paulo Vidal, Dogecoin encourages merged mining with other networks. However, it does not have its own independent mining. He concludes that the security of the crypto network is therefore tied to 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. It indeed touches on the core of what makes a PoW-based crypto blockchain robust: the higher the hashrate, the more complex and costly a 51% attack becomes.

Crypto developer Chromatic X quickly nuances Vidal's observation

In a post published on X on July 19, he firmly argues that Dogecoin does not depend specifically on Litecoin, 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 the hostage of a single project. It is rather 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, rather than from a technical necessity.

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

Merged mining between Dogecoin and Litecoin is not a novelty

Merged mining allows a crypto miner to validate blocks simultaneously on multiple different blockchains without additional expenditure of computing power or hardware. However, they must 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 carries a cryptographic proof verifiable by the Dogecoin network. Therefore, there is no need for any kind of social validation from Litecoin. Dogecoin nodes only verify that the PoW meets their own rules.

In addition to Dogecoin and Litecoin, other crypto projects using the Scrypt algorithm also employ the same mechanism. This is notably the case with Namecoin.

The merge mining between Dogecoin and Litecoin was activated in August 2014, following a proposal by Charlie Lee in the spring of the same year. Before this date, Dogecoin had too low a hashrate to withstand a 51% attack sustainably.

The adoption of AuxPoW immediately changed the game: Dogecoin's hashrate reportedly surged by about 1,500% within a month, according to a case study published by Binance Research. Twelve years later, this mutual dependence remains structural. According to market estimates, more than 70% of Dogecoin's hashing power today would indeed come from merged mining with Litecoin.

What the 2026 hashrate figures for Dogecoin and Litecoin reveal

The hashrate represents the total computing power dedicated to crypto mining. Data published in June 2026 allows for a concrete measurement of the power dynamics between Dogecoin and Litecoin.

• Dogecoin's hashrate ranged 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.
• Meanwhile, Litecoin displayed a hashrate close to 2.7 PH/s in early June 2026.

This simply means that the two crypto networks operate on comparable orders of magnitude. In other words, their combined security relies on a largely common base of miners rather than on a mere submission of Dogecoin to Litecoin.

This proximity is partly explained by the deployment of new specialized integrated circuit (ASIC) models compatible with Scrypt. These are more powerful than previous generations, thus simultaneously boosting mining activity on both crypto blockchains. Graph showing Dogecoin's hashrate over a 3-month period (Source: CoinWarz)

The co-founder of Dogecoin also shares his perspective

Known by the pseudonym Shibetoshi Nakamoto, Billy Markus also weighed in on the exchange. According to him, Dogecoin remains the most profitable Scrypt cryptocurrency to mine. This remark shifts the focus of the debate: it is not so much Dogecoin that depends on Litecoin, but the other way around. He argues that many Scrypt miners are drawn to Litecoin precisely because it allows them to also earn DOGE at no additional cost.

This observation aligns with that made by Timothy Stebbing, director of the Dogecoin Foundation. According to him, most of the merged mined Scrypt crypto assets would actually depend on Dogecoin's monetary issuance to remain economically viable to mine. Therefore, abandoning merge mining would not only weaken Dogecoin but also the ecosystem of Scrypt miners that has built up around this interdependence since 2014.

This approach questions the idea that one blockchain is superior to another. Indeed, it is not a one-way dependency relationship. Rather, it is an economic balance where each crypto network contributes something to the other: Litecoin provides hashing power and Dogecoin offers attractive mining profitability.

What would happen if Dogecoin left merged crypto mining?

Crypto analysts are betting on three possible scenarios.

• Scenario 1: Dogecoin disables AuxPoW: Scrypt miners continue to mine Litecoin but lose DOGE rewards. The Scrypt hashrate drops. Dogecoin would need to attract dedicated miners, which would cost millions in infrastructure and electricity. Probability: almost zero, as no key developer supports this idea.
• Scenario 2: a hybrid transition: the project << Sakura >> mentioned by the Dogecoin Foundation explores a hybrid PoW/PoS model. However, developers have reiterated that this does not mean abolishing mining, only adding staking incentives in layer 2. PoW would remain the core 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 undermine the current security of Dogecoin. It rather reveals two visions for its future: to preserve a proven model or to aim for total independence.