Provable Liveness

Definition ∞ Provable liveness is a characteristic of a distributed system, specifically a blockchain consensus protocol, that guarantees the system will eventually make progress and process transactions. This signifies that honest nodes will ultimately reach agreement and new blocks will be appended to the chain, even when faults occur. It ensures that the network does not halt indefinitely. This property is vital for the continuous operation of a decentralized ledger.
Context ∞ The assurance of provable liveness is a critical aspect of blockchain protocol design, frequently discussed in academic research and news about the theoretical security of new consensus algorithms. Attaining this property alongside safety, which prevents incorrect states, is a primary goal for developers. Protocols that offer stronger guarantees of liveness are often emphasized for their robustness.