Epidemic Consensus

Definition ∞ Epidemic consensus describes a class of distributed agreement protocols where information propagates through a network similar to a biological epidemic, with nodes exchanging data until a consistent state is reached. This approach is often employed in systems requiring high availability and fault tolerance, particularly where network partitions or asynchronous communication are common. It allows for robust information dissemination.
Context ∞ While not a primary consensus mechanism for most mainstream public blockchains, epidemic consensus principles find application in specific distributed systems and layer-2 solutions aiming for rapid data synchronization. News on advanced distributed ledger research or specialized enterprise blockchain deployments might discuss its role in maintaining data consistency across dispersed nodes. Its utility lies in specific network architectures.