Definition ∞ Synchronous networks are systems where all participants maintain a consistent and up-to-date view of the network’s state at all times. In a synchronous blockchain, all nodes process and validate transactions in a tightly coordinated manner, ensuring that the ledger is updated simultaneously across the entire network. This model simplifies consensus mechanisms and offers strong consistency guarantees, meaning all honest participants observe the same sequence of events. However, achieving true synchronicity in a geographically distributed network presents significant challenges related to latency and fault tolerance.
Context ∞ While ideal in theory for consistency, truly synchronous networks are difficult to implement at scale for public blockchains due to inherent network latency. Most large-scale blockchain protocols operate under a partially synchronous or asynchronous model, prioritizing availability and fault tolerance. The debate often centers on the trade-offs between strict synchronicity, decentralization, and scalability in blockchain design.
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