Definition ∞ Stateless refers to a system or protocol that does not retain information about past interactions or states. In the context of blockchain, statelessness implies that nodes do not need to store the entire history of transactions or account balances to validate new blocks. This design can significantly improve scalability and reduce resource requirements for network participants.
Context ∞ The pursuit of statelessness in blockchain technology is a key area of research aimed at enhancing network efficiency and decentralization. Discussions often involve the technical challenges of achieving stateless validation, such as the use of cryptographic proofs and state expiry mechanisms. News coverage may highlight progress in developing stateless clients or the implications of statelessness for future blockchain architectures.