Definition ∞ Consensus delay describes the time elapsed between a transaction being submitted to a decentralized network and its final, irreversible confirmation by the network’s consensus mechanism. This period accounts for block propagation, validation by nodes, and the necessary confirmations to achieve network agreement. A longer consensus delay can affect user experience and the speed of applications built on the blockchain. It represents a fundamental trade-off between transaction speed and security guarantees.
Context ∞ Consensus delay is a central topic in debates surrounding blockchain scalability and the practical limitations of various protocol designs. Projects often strive to minimize this delay to enhance transaction finality, especially for high-frequency applications. The pursuit of faster consensus mechanisms, such as those found in proof-of-stake systems or sharding implementations, frequently appears in news concerning blockchain upgrades and performance metrics.
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