Practical Latency

Definition ∞ Practical Latency refers to the actual time delay experienced in a real-world system between initiating an action and observing its completion. In blockchain networks, this measures the time it takes for a transaction to be confirmed and irreversibly added to the ledger. It accounts for network propagation delays, block production times, and consensus finality. Lower practical latency is crucial for applications requiring rapid transaction processing.
Context ∞ The pursuit of reduced Practical Latency is a primary driver for many scalability solutions in blockchain technology, such as Layer 2 networks and alternative consensus mechanisms. News often discusses how different protocols are working to improve transaction finality and user experience. The ongoing advancements aim to make decentralized applications more competitive with traditional financial systems, particularly for high-frequency operations.