Counterparty & the Proof of Burn Mechanism

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In this article, we will explain the revolutionary consensus mechanism behind Slimcoin: If you need a super-short explanation, you can go to the tl;dr section at the end. The blockchain is the main database of a cryptocurrency. It contains all valid transactions. All nodes - all participants that run a full-featured client software - save the blockchain on their hard disks. A block is written when the nodes agree to a set of transactions that the nodes regard as valid. But how do the proof of burn bitcoin news agree which transactions should be saved into a block?

There is no central authority that validates the transactions, so this work must be done by the nodes in a collaborative way. The proof of burn bitcoin news technology already prevents that some node could create money out of thin air. But there could be dishonest nodes that tried to use a coin twice - this is called a double spend. For example, they could buy an item in an online shop and inmediately try to send the same coins to an exchange.

This way they could fool the shop owner and the exchange owner and get both things - the bought item and the money. To prevent double spendsthe nodes must come to an agreement which transactions are valid and which are not. On a first glance, we could let the nodes vote for which transactions are included into a block, with each proof of burn bitcoin news having one vote.

But there is a problem: A malicious participant could create thousands of nodes and manipulate the vote. In Bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies, a mechanism called Proof of work is used.

We could describe the process the following way: The nodes miners compete to write a block into the blockchain. To include a block, their computers must first do some work: The node that first solves it gets the right to write the block, and gets a reward for it to incentive this work.

This process is proof of burn bitcoin news called mining. If you want to double spendyou must have the computing power to write several blocks in a row. Only this way, you can be sure that both of your transactions are included in the blockchain. The important thing to understand is that the raw computing power is not important to prevent manipulation by double spending.

What is important is the cost of the computing power. It must be costly for proof of burn bitcoin news attacker to achieve the power to mine several blocks in a row.

So in Proof of work, the right to mine blocks is tied to a monetary cost for the miner. The more a miner pays for computing equipment that is able to solve the cryptographic puzzle mining rigsthe more chances he has to get the right to mine blocks. That is the principle behind Proof of Burn.

We call it also mintingbecause no real work is done. But the brilliant mind that has invented Proof of Burn, Iain Stewart, has provided us an analogy: Burnt coins are mining rigs! The act of burning coins can be compared to the act to buy a mining rig. In Proof of Burn, every time you burn coins, you buy a virtual mining rig that gives you the power to mine blocks. The more coins you burn, the bigger that virtual mining rig.

If you burn coins, you not only get the right to compete for the next block. You burn coins and this rises your chance to get blocks for a long time - at least for a year. Now, proof of burn bitcoin news prevent early adopters from benefitting too much or attacking the systemthe power of proof of burn bitcoin news coins decays every time a block is mined.

But this also mimics mining: Mining rigs eventually become obsolete proof of burn bitcoin news there is better technology available. So miners, to stay competitive, will have to renew their equipment sometimes. The same is true for Proof of Burn: Like in Proof of Work, the block rewards are high enough proof of burn bitcoin news allow the participants to make a financial gain profit from minting.

Proof of burn has the advantage over Proof of Work that it does consume much less energy. But Proof of Burn has also advantages over Proof of Stake, another consensus method that minimizes energy use. We will cover this point in a later post. Proof of burn works like virtual mining: You buy a virtual mining rig if proof of burn bitcoin news burn coins. The more coins you burn, the more powerful the mining rig. Every virtual mining rig gives you the right to mine for a long time, just like real mining rigs.

Why a consensus method is necessary? Proof of work without energy waste The important thing to understand is that the raw computing power is not important to prevent manipulation by double spending. But what if we can have the same effect in a more direct way?

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This article was originally posted on MyCryptopedia - a trusted educational website created by two UK university students, and founded on their passion for cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.

When it comes to thinking about blockchain technology, one essential element to consider are consensus algorithms. These algorithms play an important role in blockchain architecture, by ensuring that network participants are able to reach consensus as to the shared state of the blockchain.

There are numerous consensus protocols that exist, such as proof-of-work PoW and proof-of-stake PoS , with each protocol representing a different approach as to how blockchain consensus should be achieved in a distributed and trustless environment.

In advancing this discussion, one novel approach that has been proposed is a consensus algorithm known as: The idea behind proof of burn is that, in order for a user to mine in a proof of burn consensus algorithm, they must burn their cryptocurrency.

Users do this by sending their coins to a verifiably unspendable address. Once coins are sent to this address, they can no longer be accessed or spent. Because proof of burn transactions are recorded on the blockchain, it can be demonstrated that the coins can no longer be used, which means that the user can then be rewarded.

The concept behind proof of burn can properly be understood when it is compared to the already popular and existing consensus algorithm, PoW. With PoW, miners are required to invest in equipment and electricity in order to mine blocks.

Effectively, the right to mine blocks in a PoW system is directly linked to the monetary cost that the miner is required to take on. In the case of PoW, that cost is monetary, as miners must pay for hardware and electricity. However, the disadvantage of PoW systems is that they can consume a significant amount of energy.

For example, it is predicted that Bitcoin PoW mining could consume as much electricity as Denmark by The innovative element of proof of burn is that it reshapes the type of cost that miners must take on in order to mine blocks. Instead of taking on costs associated with electricity and hardware as in PoW mining, miners in proof of burn burn their coins in order to mine a block. Thus, proof of burn miners are still taking on a cost, however, no resources are consumed other than the burned underlying asset.

This means that the problem of energy consumption and environmental impact, that is inherent in PoW systems, is not apparent in the proof of burn consensus model. Proof of burn is an interesting algorithm that adopts a novel approach to distributed, trustless consensus. As of now, there are a few cryptocurrency projects that have adopted the proof of burn consensus algorithm, such as Slimcoin and Counterparty.

It is likely that we will continue to see the introduction of multiple consensus algorithms, as projects strive to design an algorithm that effectively balances the interests of competing stakeholders within their localised ecosystems.

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