See Also
Proof of Elapsed Time (POET) Summary [Cryptocurrency consensus mechanisms]
In this poetically named consensus mechanism, network participants prove that they have slept for a random amount of time before being able to mint a block. POET was released by Intel in 2016 and was originally aimed at trusted computing using Intel CPU’s. A special instruction set called Software Guard Extensions (SGX) allows programs to […]
Opinion: Decentralized blockchains can only survive having a valuable token, like Bitcoin, attached to them [Feb 2018]
We’ve heard this time and again, especially from folks in the financial sector: “blockchain is here to stay, Bitcoin not so much”. Is this really so? We disagree, and in this article we discuss the origins of Bitcoin and how the problem it solved only makes sense when there’s a reward for participants to join […]
Proof of Trust (PoT) Summary [Cryptocurrency consensus mechanisms]
In a Proof of Trust system, users in a network gain trust as they participate in special activities within the network. If a user tries to defraud the system, the trust is lost and they lose an equivalent amount in value (the cryptocurrency or token employed). In a Proof of Trust system, “trust” is staked […]
Proof of Activity (PoA) Summary [Cryptocurrency consensus mechanisms]
Proof of Activity (PoA) is a cryptocurrency consensus mechanism which combines Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of State (PoW) into a hybrid mining system. In a PoA system, validators begin by applying a Proof of Work stage to block headers until they find a desirable hash. The block headers are then passed onto a […]