Blockchains utilize Proof of Work, a consensus mechanism, to validate transactions before they are added to the blockchain. Traditional databases store all transaction data in one place. Blockchains can be accessed by anyone and aren’t centralized. Using Proof-of-Work, the blockchain can become everyone’s agreed-upon source of truth.
Proof of Work is the consensus mechanism used by Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency in the world.
Since the blockchain doesn’t have a central authority, transactions are checked by independent third parties called “miners.” The blockchain accomplishes this by progressively making all of the transactions public. Any reverted transaction is one that conflicts with previously published transactions.
How Proof of Work Adds Verifies Transactions
Usually, a block containing a number of transactions is released at once. The process of publishing a block involves a race among the miners to determine which random number, called a nonce, best satisfies a set of criteria. A nonce in Bitcoin is a number that, when hashed with SHA-256 along with other information like transaction details, produces a string with a predetermined number of leading zeroes. Cryptocurrency mining, or “Bitcoin mining,” describes this activity.
Motivating miners to protect the blockchain is essential. Miners are guaranteed a predetermined reward by discovering the nonce and broadcasting the block, usually in the blockchain’s native currency.
Proof of Work stops double spending in a blockchain and does many other important things. When a user tries to use the same funds twice, this is known as “double spending.” But if a transaction that uses up the fund has already been made public, any other transaction that goes against it will be automatically undone.
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