Multi-Valued Agreement

Definition ∞ Multi-valued agreement is a distributed computing problem where a set of processes must agree on one value from a range of proposed values, even if some processes fail or behave maliciously. Unlike single-valued agreement, which seeks consensus on a specific binary choice, this protocol allows for a selection from a broader set of options. It is a more generalized form of consensus crucial for complex decentralized applications. This agreement type finds application in various distributed decision-making scenarios.
Context ∞ This concept is relevant in advanced blockchain designs where nodes need to agree on more complex data structures or configurations rather than simple transaction ordering. Research in multi-valued agreement aims to develop efficient protocols that can handle a larger state space while maintaining fault tolerance. News occasionally references these more complex consensus requirements in the context of sophisticated decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) or sharding solutions.