Practical Byzantine

Definition ∞ Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) is a consensus algorithm designed to achieve agreement among distributed nodes even when some nodes are malicious or faulty. It provides strong consistency and finality, meaning all honest nodes agree on the same order of transactions. PBFT is often used in permissioned blockchain networks and distributed systems where participants are known and have a degree of trust. It ensures reliable operation despite potential node failures.
Context ∞ News often discusses PBFT in the context of enterprise blockchain solutions and private ledger deployments, where its efficiency and strong finality are advantageous. Debates sometimes concern its scalability limitations in highly decentralized public networks, as communication overhead increases with more participants. Ongoing research aims to adapt and optimize PBFT variants for broader application in various distributed ledger technologies.