Consistency Guarantees

Definition ∞ Consistency guarantees define the rules for how data updates are seen across a distributed system. They ensure that all participants view the same data at any given moment or within a defined timeframe. Different blockchain architectures offer varying levels of these guarantees, impacting data reliability. Strong consistency ensures that every read operation returns the most recent written value.
Context ∞ In blockchain technology, consistency guarantees are fundamental to transaction finality and network integrity. Proof-of-Work systems achieve eventual consistency, while Proof-of-Stake protocols often aim for stronger, faster finality. The ongoing scalability challenges in decentralized networks frequently involve trade-offs between consistency, availability, and partition tolerance.