Elementary

Consensus Mechanisms

Elementary Track 05
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Reaching Consensus Without Trust

How can thousands of strangers agree on the same ledger? Deciding on "truth" without a central server is the consensus problem.

What You'll Learn

  • The principles and differences between Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (PoS)
  • Nakamoto consensus and how the Byzantine Generals Problem is solved
  • The concepts and significance of slashing, finality, and forks
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Proof of Work (PoW)

The first node to solve a hard math puzzle with computing power earns the right to produce a block.

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Proof of Stake (PoS)

Locking up coins (staking) earns a proportional chance to be randomly selected as a validator.

💡 Byzantine Generals Problem: reaching consensus among untrusted communicators. Satoshi solved it with PoW.