Skip to main content

Fair Exchange Protocol

Definition

A fair exchange protocol facilitates a digital asset swap ensuring either complete transaction success or total failure for all participants. This protocol eliminates the risk of one party defaulting after receiving their part of the exchange, a problem known as the double-spending or atomicity issue. It typically utilizes cryptographic commitments, time-locks, or trusted third parties to guarantee atomicity. Such protocols are fundamental for trustless peer-to-peer trading and secure multi-party computations in decentralized environments.