BlockchainBeginner

Proof of stake

A consensus approach that uses committed assets to help select validators and hold them accountable.

PLAIN-ENGLISH DEFINITION

In more detail

Proof of stake uses assets at risk rather than mining work to support consensus. Validators follow the chain's rules, with rewards and penalties that vary by protocol. Holding or staking a large amount doesn't give someone permission to make invalid transactions valid: other participants still check the rules.

IN THE WILD

How you might use it

A validator proposes a block and others check it; the proposer’s stake doesn’t let it include a transfer that the protocol considers invalid.

Independent validator stations commit assets and check candidate block rules, with malformed work rejected and separate reward/penalty paths.
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WORD NOTES
Short name
PoS

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