Nothingatstake
Nothing-at-stake is a concern in some proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain consensus designs. It describes a situation where validators can vote on multiple competing chains or forks with little or no cost, because there is no resource-based penalty akin to expending energy in proof-of-work. In such systems, a validator could, in theory, back several forks to maximize potential rewards, making it easier for conflicting histories to coexist and hindering convergence and finality.
The issue arises from the idea that, unlike in PoW, signing or voting on different forks does
Mitigations developed in response include slashing conditions that punish equivocation or signing conflicting blocks, thereby increasing
Nothing-at-stake has shaped PoS protocol design by highlighting the need for strong penalties and finality guarantees.