{"id":10586,"date":"2023-04-14T03:18:07","date_gmt":"2023-04-14T03:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/?p=10586"},"modified":"2025-09-10T15:22:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T15:22:56","slug":"what-is-a-proof-of-authority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-a-proof-of-authority","title":{"rendered":"What is a proof of authority?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Alternar tabla de contenidos\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #ffffff;color:#ffffff\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #ffffff;color:#ffffff\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-a-proof-of-authority\/#history_of_proof_of_authority\" >History of Proof of Authority<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-a-proof-of-authority\/#how_does_proof_of_authority_work\" >How does Proof of Authority work?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-a-proof-of-authority\/#conditions_for_operation\" >Conditions for operation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-a-proof-of-authority\/#advantages_and_disadvantages_of_poa\" >Advantages and Disadvantages of PoA<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-a-proof-of-authority\/#advantages\" >Advantages:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Tiempo de lectura:<\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutos<\/span><\/span><p class=\"p1\">In the world of cryptocurrencies there are several types of\u00a0<strong>consensus mechanisms<\/strong>. One of them is Proof of Authority. In this article we will tell you all about how it works.\u00a0<strong>Proof of Authority<\/strong>\u00a0is a consensus mechanism through which blockchain participants can validate transactions and update their record.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">PoA or Proof of Authority (in English) is based on the reputation of network representatives chosen by blockchain participants. Such a protocol was implemented as\u00a0<strong>an optimized model of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-proof-of-stake-and-how-does-it-work\/\">Proof of Stake (PoS)<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0where instead of using coins as a form of betting, identity is used.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The identity is bet on a set of pre-approved validators for the validation of transactions and blocks in the network. The set of validators is usually quite small to ensure the\u00a0<strong>security and efficiency<\/strong>\u00a0of the network. This group usually consists of about\u00a0<strong>25 or so validators.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"history_of_proof_of_authority\"><\/span><b>History of Proof of Authority<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\">The Proof of Authority consensus mechanism was designed with the goal of making it an efficient private blockchain-oriented solution. The name of the consensus mechanism, PoA, was named after\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/who-is-gavin-wood\/\">Gavin Wood<\/a>\u00a0who held the position of co-founder, former CTO in\u00a0<strong>Ethereum<\/strong>\u00a0development and co-founder of\u00a0<strong>Parity Technologies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">This consensus mechanism was proposed as a scalable idea in\u00a0<strong>2017<\/strong>\u00a0after its creation by a group of developers. After its launch it began to be implemented and gain reputation since it differed notably from protocols such as\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-proof-of-work-the-bitcoin-consensus-protocol\/\">Proof of Work<\/a>\u00a0and Proof of Stake<\/strong>. Unlike these protocols, Proof of Authority breaks the schemes by leveraging user identities to\u00a0<strong>enable validations<\/strong>\u00a0on the blockchain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The novel features of its release included an\u00a0<strong>arbitrary selection<\/strong>\u00a0of trusted validators which prompted developers to implement a consensus mechanism to\u00a0<strong>ensure security<\/strong>. It is currently one of many known and implemented consensus algorithms.<\/p>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"image_1271926195\" class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\">\n<div class=\"img-inner dark\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-large size-large lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Qu%C3%A9-es-Proof-of-Authority1.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Qu\u00e9-es-Proof-of-Authority1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Qu\u00e9-es-Proof-of-Authority1-300x205.jpg 300w\" alt=\"Qu\u00e9-es-Proof-of-Authority\" width=\"768\" height=\"526\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Qu\u00e9-es-Proof-of-Authority1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Qu\u00e9-es-Proof-of-Authority1-300x205.jpg 300w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Qu\u00e9-es-Proof-of-Authority1.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_does_proof_of_authority_work\"><\/span><b>How does Proof of Authority work?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">In Proof of Authority the system starts with the\u00a0<strong>random election<\/strong>\u00a0of validators. Subsequently, a voting system of other previously\u00a0<strong>authorized<\/strong>\u00a0nodes allows the selection of nodes and their inclusion in the network. This\u00a0<strong>prevents the access<\/strong>\u00a0of malicious nodes that could affect the operation of the network. It should be noted that each validator can only sign\u00a0<strong>one<\/strong>\u00a0of each series of consecutive blocks in its\u00a0<strong>validation time<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">PoA uses\u00a0<strong>identity and reputation<\/strong>\u00a0just as Proof of Stake uses participation to ensure<strong>\u00a0trust<\/strong>\u00a0and participation in the network. In this consensus mechanism, the identity of each user becomes extremely\u00a0<strong>valuable<\/strong>. Clearly, in order to use this system, the validated user must<strong>\u00a0voluntarily<\/strong>\u00a0reveal his or her identity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">When the validator\u2019s information is made\u00a0<strong>public<\/strong>, responsibilities in the operation of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-blockchain-and-how-does-it-work\/\">blockchain<\/a>\u00a0are established. In addition, knowing the identity of the validators, any inconvenience or any act that undermines the\u00a0<strong>security<\/strong>\u00a0of the network automatically falls on the person or institution which will increase its\u00a0<strong>good or bad reputation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">For these reasons, the validators of a blockchain based on the use of Proof of Authority<strong>\u00a0take care of its reputation<\/strong>\u00a0on a daily basis. Therefore, these validators will do everything in their power to maintain the\u00a0<strong>transparency, proper functioning and reliability<\/strong>\u00a0of the blockchain. This is because both the identity of a validator and the company behind a validator or groups of validators is at stake and this will make them feel\u00a0<strong>incentivized to preserve the network.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">As for the validation nodes in the PoA network, they have\u00a0<strong>full authority<\/strong>\u00a0to decide on\u00a0<strong>new blocks<\/strong>. This means that they can stop specific transactions even if this generates a conflict of interest and\u00a0<strong>harms<\/strong>\u00a0the network. In many cases, those who control the nodes do not trust each other generating various conflicts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">In this system, nodes are encouraged to\u00a0<strong>perform<\/strong>\u00a0their duties\u00a0<strong>honestly<\/strong>\u00a0through constant\u00a0<strong>monitoring<\/strong>, whereby each validator supervises the actions performed by the<strong>\u00a0other validators.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"image_539470895\" class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\">\n<div class=\"img-inner dark\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-large size-large lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Qu%C3%A9-es-Proof-of-Authority.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Qu\u00e9-es-Proof-of-Authority.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Qu\u00e9-es-Proof-of-Authority-300x205.jpg 300w\" alt=\"Qu\u00e9-es-Proof-of-Authority\" width=\"768\" height=\"526\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Qu\u00e9-es-Proof-of-Authority.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Qu\u00e9-es-Proof-of-Authority-300x205.jpg 300w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Qu\u00e9-es-Proof-of-Authority.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"conditions_for_operation\"><\/span><b>Conditions for operation<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p3\">In the operation of Proof of Authority there are several conditions to be met in order to proceed with the protocol. These conditions are discussed below:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<ol class=\"ol1\">\n<li class=\"li3\"><strong>The obligation to validate the identity of potential validators<\/strong>. Any user wishing to participate in the network must verify and publish their real identity.<\/li>\n<li>All validator candidates must<strong>\u00a0have the money to invest<\/strong>\u00a0and offer their reputation as a guarantee. In this way, candidates choose to participate in the network on a long-term basis.<\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\"><b>Standard system for the approval of a validator.\u00a0<\/b>This standard system is mandatory since it is intended to achieve an adequate selection method that guarantees the equal selection of candidates.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p class=\"p3\">These three measures are intended to ensure that the system is capable of eliminating possible malicious actors. In the event that a validator in the network acts in bad faith, the network should automatically remove it to maintain trust and transparency in the blockchain.<\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"advantages_and_disadvantages_of_poa\"><\/span><b>Advantages and Disadvantages of PoA<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p3\">Like any system, Proof of Authority has advantages and disadvantages that differentiate it from other systems. Below we will see the most important ones:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"advantages\"><\/span><strong>Advantages:<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li3\"><b>Less intensive.\u00a0<\/b>From a computational point of view, the PoA protocol is less computationally intensive than basic models such as Proof of Work, which have high power consumption.<\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\"><b>It does not require communication between nodes.\u00a0<\/b>No communication between nodes is necessary to reach consensus.<\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\"><b>The continuity of the network is independent of the number of available nodes.\u00a0<\/b>This is because they are pre-approved and verifiably trusted in the public domain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\"><br \/>\n<strong>Disadvantages:<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li3\"><b>Centralization.\u00a0<\/b>One of the main advantages of this system is its centralized model as well as its distribution.<\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\"><b>Validators\u2019 identities are public.\u00a0<\/b>The obligation to publish the identity of validators is criticized as it could lead to manipulation by third parties towards users.<\/li>\n<li class=\"li3\"><b>Censorship.\u00a0<\/b>Many users criticize that the protocol facilitates censorship and blacklisting of many users.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Tiempo de lectura:<\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutos<\/span><\/span>In the world of cryptocurrencies there are several types of\u00a0consensus mechanisms. One of them is Proof of Authority. In this article we will tell you all about how it works.\u00a0Proof of Authority\u00a0is a consensus mechanism through which blockchain participants can validate transactions and update their record. PoA or Proof of Authority (in English) is based [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7708,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[185],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blockchain-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10586"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10586\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24636,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10586\/revisions\/24636"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}