Definition ∞ The median rule is a statistical principle used to select a central value from a dataset. In certain decentralized systems, particularly those relying on oracles for external data, the median rule can be applied to aggregate multiple data points, such as asset prices. By taking the median rather than the average, the system becomes more resilient to outliers or malicious data submissions from a minority of sources. This helps ensure data integrity and reliability for smart contracts.
Context ∞ The median rule is often discussed in technical news related to oracle security and decentralized data aggregation. Its application helps protect decentralized finance protocols from price manipulation attacks. Debates sometimes involve comparing the median rule with other aggregation methods and their respective vulnerabilities.