Smart Contract Randomness

Definition ∞ Smart contract randomness refers to the ability of a smart contract to access or generate unpredictable outcomes that cannot be influenced or foreseen by participants. This is essential for decentralized applications requiring fair play, such as gaming, lotteries, or fair distribution mechanisms. Achieving true, unmanipulable randomness on a deterministic blockchain is a complex challenge. It is critical for the integrity and trustworthiness of many on-chain applications.
Context ∞ Providing secure and unmanipulable smart contract randomness remains a persistent challenge in blockchain development, as on-chain data is inherently deterministic and public. Debates often focus on the effectiveness of various oracle solutions and verifiable random functions in delivering truly unpredictable inputs. Future research aims to develop more robust and decentralized randomness sources to prevent front-running and other forms of exploitation in smart contract execution.