Consensus Terms
Actively Validated Service
A protocol secured by restaked ETH through EigenLayer.
Block Reward
A block reward is cryptocurrency given to a miner or validator for successfully creating and verifying a new block on a blockchain network.
Byzantine Fault Tolerance
A system property allowing correct operation even when some nodes act maliciously.
Checkpoint
A block designated as a finality anchor that validators attest to.
Consensus
Consensus is the process by which decentralized network participants reach a unified agreement on the valid state and order of transactions on a blockchain.
Delegated Proof of Stake
A consensus mechanism where network users vote for delegates who are responsible for validating transactions and producing blocks.
Delegator
A token holder delegating stake to a validator, sharing rewards without running a node.
Difficulty
Difficulty measures how hard it is for miners to solve cryptographic puzzles and validate a new block on a proof-of-work blockchain network.
Epoch
A fixed time period after which staking rewards are distributed and validator sets may rotate.
Fork
A blockchain fork is a software update that splits a chain into incompatible (hard fork) or backward-compatible (soft fork) network versions.
Halving
A halving is a programmed event in proof-of-work blockchains like Bitcoin that cuts the miner reward for validating blocks in half.
Hard Fork
A hard fork is a backward-incompatible blockchain software update that requires all nodes to upgrade to remain on the main network.
Liquid Staking
Staking tokens while receiving a liquid derivative token usable across DeFi.
Mining
Cryptocurrency mining is the process of validating transactions and adding blocks to a blockchain network in exchange for newly created crypto rewards.
Nominated Proof of Stake
A variant where nominators back validators with stake sharing rewards and slashing exposure.
Orphan Block
An orphan block is a validly mined block rejected by the network because a competing chain achieved greater consensus proof.
Proof of Authority
A consensus mechanism where a small number of pre-approved, identified validator nodes are chosen to secure the blockchain.
Proof of History
A cryptographic method developed by Solana to establish a verifiable timeline and ordering of transactions before consensus.
Proof of Stake
Proof of Stake is a blockchain consensus mechanism where validators lock up cryptocurrency as collateral to verify transactions and create new blocks.
Proof of Work
Proof of Work is a consensus mechanism requiring network participants to expend computational effort to validate transactions and secure a blockchain.
Restaking
Reusing already-staked ETH to secure additional protocols simultaneously.
Slashing
Penalizing a validator by destroying a portion of staked tokens for malicious behavior.
Soft Fork
A soft fork is a backward‑compatible protocol change where upgraded miners enforce new rules, allowing old nodes to still accept new blocks.
Staking
A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that relies on cryptographic techniques to secure transactions, control token creation, and verify transfers.
Validator
A node proposing and attesting to new blocks in a proof-of-stake blockchain.