BFT Consensus
BFT consensus algorithms are a class of protocols designed to achieve agreement in distributed systems where participants may be unreliable or adversarial. Unlike Proof of Work, which relies on computational energy, BFT protocols often rely on voting mechanisms among a defined set of validators.
These algorithms are capable of reaching consensus even if up to one-third of the nodes are malicious or fail. This efficiency allows for faster block times and deterministic finality, making them well-suited for high-performance blockchain applications.
However, they often require a more centralized validator set compared to permissionless Proof of Work systems. The trade-off between performance and decentralization is a central theme in the design of BFT-based financial protocols.