Consensus Latency

Definition ∞ Consensus Latency refers to the time delay inherent in a distributed network reaching an agreement on the state of a ledger or the validity of transactions. This metric is critical for the performance of blockchain systems, as higher latency can impede transaction throughput and finality. Different consensus mechanisms exhibit varying degrees of latency, influencing the scalability and responsiveness of the network. Minimizing this delay is a key engineering challenge.
Context ∞ Discussions surrounding Consensus Latency are prominent in analyses of blockchain scalability solutions and the performance characteristics of various distributed ledger technologies. Researchers and developers are continuously exploring novel consensus algorithms and network optimizations to reduce this delay. Understanding consensus latency is fundamental to evaluating the efficiency and practical applicability of different blockchain protocols reported in the news.