Verifiable Randomness

Definition ∞ Verifiable randomness is a method for generating unpredictable numbers that can be publicly confirmed as truly random. This ensures that the outcome of processes relying on chance, such as lotteries or cryptographic key generation, is fair and cannot be manipulated. The verifiability aspect is key to establishing trust in decentralized systems.
Context ∞ Verifiable randomness is a critical component for many decentralized applications, including prediction markets, non-fungible token (NFT) minting, and decentralized gaming. Current discussions often focus on the security and decentralization of randomness sources, such as commit-reveal schemes or blockchain-based beacon chains. Ongoing research aims to develop more robust and tamper-proof methods for generating and distributing random numbers securely across distributed networks.