Consensus mechanisms are algorithms used by blockchain networks to achieve agreement among nodes on the state of the ledger, ensuring;

1. Security

2. Integrity

3. Immutability

Proof-Based Mechanisms

1. Proof of Work (PoW): Bitcoin, Ethereum (pre-Merge)

    1. Energy-intensive, slow

2. Proof of Stake (PoS): Ethereum (post-Merge), Solana

    1. Less energy-intensive, faster

3. Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS): EOS, Tron

    1. Centralized

4. Leased Proof of Stake (LPoS): NEO

    1. Variation of PoS

Voting-Based Mechanisms

1. Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT): Ripple

    1. Fast, energy-efficient

2. Federated Byzantine Agreement (FBA): Stellar

    1. Variation of BFT

3. Leader-Based Byzantine Fault Tolerance (LBBFT)

    1. Improved BFT

DAG-Based Mechanisms

1. Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG): IOTA, Nano

    1. Fast, energy-efficient

2. Tangle: IOTA

    1. Variation of DAG

3. Mysticeti: Sui

    1. Novel, high-performance

Hybrid Mechanisms

1. Proof of Activity (PoA): Decred

    1. Combines PoW and PoS

2. Proof of Capacity (PoC): Burstcoin

    1. Variation of PoS

Comparison

| Mechanism | Security | Scalability | Energy Efficiency |

| --- | --- | --- | --- |

| PoW | High | Low | Low |

| PoS | Medium | Medium | High |

| DPoS | Medium | High | High |

| BFT | High | High | High |

| DAG | High | High | High |

1. Security: Resistance to attacks

2. Scalability: Transaction capacity

3. Energy efficiency: Environmental impact

4. Complexity: Implementation difficulty

5. Centralization: Node distribution