Blockchain Consensus Mechanisms

The cluster focuses on discussions about achieving distributed consensus in blockchains, including Nakamoto Consensus, proof-of-work alternatives, the Byzantine Generals problem, and requirements for trustless, permissionless systems without majority attacks.

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#1170
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Keywords

whitepaper.html ELI5 L1 BGP DAG CRDT MobileCoin intercoin.org BTC L2 consensus blockchain distributed chain governance protocol tolerant btc decentralized network

Sample Comments

arthurcolle Dec 21, 2017 View on HN

How is consensus achieved without proof-of-work?

ascendantlogic May 18, 2021 View on HN

To establish "good enough" distributed consensus without burning absolutely enormous amounts of energy doing throwaway math problems?

Niksko Apr 23, 2022 View on HN

Don't you need to also trust all of the other nodes on the network to come to consensus?

baby Sep 5, 2025 View on HN

It's not a consensus mechanism in the rigorous sense, it's more similar to a reliable broadcast protocol (less powerful)

waste_monk Oct 14, 2020 View on HN

Can't we just agree to use one consensus protocol?

sunshinerag Aug 5, 2021 View on HN

Is there a more efficient system to arrive at consensus of a state in a distributed, trust-less, permission less manner?

madeofpalk Jun 8, 2021 View on HN

Doesn't this only work if no one has the ability to take over 50% of the network?

jdamon96 Jan 1, 2022 View on HN

the blockchain is a solution to the Byzantine generals problem.

gcb0 Aug 31, 2017 View on HN

so their distributed ledger consensus rule for all the peers is "check with central authority"? this is golden!

jjcm Oct 29, 2018 View on HN

For those of us less aware of the crypto space, can you ELI5 the Byzantine Generals problem and how the Nakamoto Consensus fixes it?