Authenticated Data Structure

Definition ∞ An Authenticated Data Structure is a data organization method that cryptographically commits to its content and structure, enabling efficient and verifiable proofs of operations performed on it. Any modification to the data or its arrangement results in a detectable change to its cryptographic commitment, typically a root hash. This design permits a party to prove the state or a specific data point within the structure to another party without revealing the entire dataset. It provides strong integrity guarantees, crucial for decentralized applications.
Context ∞ Authenticated Data Structures are pivotal in blockchain and distributed ledger technologies, ensuring the integrity and verifiability of shared state. They underpin the security of light clients and scaling solutions by allowing users to verify data without downloading entire blockchains. Current research and development focus on optimizing these structures for faster updates, smaller proofs, and broader applicability across diverse decentralized protocols.