<p>The ripple protocol is a centralized distributed algorithm because it involves trusted authorities and it solves nothing.</p>
<p>References: Bitcoin and Beyond: A Technical Survey on Decentralized Digital Currencies. authors: Florian Tschorsch; Björn Scheuermann, link: <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7423672?casa_token=qsYlY_rL0SgAAAAA:ACzXSE7abH0WmQ_jbBxFjUMvfrug2VC-IwGaYKeA2zcauaUwnFq_i_nBWxp3xA9AnnxHi1Y2KVat" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7423672?casa_token=qsYlY_rL0SgAAAAA:ACzXSE7abH0WmQ_jbBxFjUMvfrug2VC-IwGaYKeA2zcauaUwnFq_i_nBWxp3xA9AnnxHi1Y2KVat</a> page: 2111. Citations: 1256</p>
<p>An Overview of Blockchain Technology: Architecture, Consensus, and Future Trends, authors: Zibin Zheng; Shaoan Xie; Hongning Dai; Xiangping Chen; Huaimin Wang link: <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8029379?casa_token=aw05koGwLSsAAAAA:ogGPUTSGclS9wzCSI0DiqtE9TSIaEXsuWo_D-mWpGGvmUYu-RedIrcQgSd6eZkVLVQM6ALhAdjbt" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8029379?casa_token=aw05koGwLSsAAAAA:ogGPUTSGclS9wzCSI0DiqtE9TSIaEXsuWo_D-mWpGGvmUYu-RedIrcQgSd6eZkVLVQM6ALhAdjbt</a>
page: 561 citations: 2059</p>
<p>SoK: Research Perspectives and Challenges for Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies authors: Joseph Bonneau, Andrew Miller, Jeremy Clark, Arvind Narayanan, Joshua A. Kroll, Edward W. Felten page:116 link: <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&amp;arnumber=7163021" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&amp;arnumber=7163021</a> citations: 1122</p>
<p>A Secure Sharding Protocol For Open Blockchains
link: <a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/2976749.2978389" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/2976749.2978389</a> page: 27 authors: Loi Luu, Viswesh Narayanan,Chaodong Zheng Kunal Baweja,Seth Gilbert,Prateek Saxena citations: 662</p>
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CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-14T12:03:00.600Z
2021-06-14T12:03:00.600Z
Cauchy
<p>To answer your question, no.</p>

<p>BFT-class consensus algorithms seek to solve the Byzantine Generals Problem.</p>

<p>Other consensus algorithms, generally the Nakamato-style consensus algorithms) including PoW (Proof-of-Work, used by Bitcoin) and PoET (Proof of Elapsed Time, used by Sawtooth) do not seek to solve BFT.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-09-19T14:54:32.687Z
2018-09-19T14:54:32.687Z
Dan Anderson
<p>There are quite a few confusions here. In a nutshell / on an extremely high level:</p>

<p>You are correct that BFT is a generally desirable characteristic of a system. Basically, it just means that people can't fraud the consensus system.</p>

<p>Since you're asking in bitcoin.stackexchange.com BFT is pretty much the <em>main</em> thing people are trying to get, without sacrificing too much of other properties. So yes, you can say that all "insert word algorithms" are trying to get BFT because that is basically the premise/foundation of any trustless distributed system.</p>

<p>The algorithm that Ripple/Stellar use are called / are based on an algorithm called PBFT (Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance), which is an unfortunately confusing name.</p>

<p>Now since Stellar forked from Ripple it is no surprise that they happen to be using the same / similar consensus algorithm.</p>

<p>Different consensus algorithms take different "sacrifices" to "solve BFT". PoW sacrifices transaction throughput and energy to achieve BFT. PBFT sacrifices decentralization / censorship-resistance.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-09-07T03:55:51.800Z
PoW does not solve BFT. It only probabilistically solves it, and only under certain economic assumptions.
Pieter Wuille
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-04T06:54:36.070Z
2018-07-04T06:54:36.070Z
kizzx2
<p>Can I clarify my understanding:</p>

<p>Byzantine Fault Tolerance is a characteristic of a system to tolerate a class of failures belonging to the byzantine generals problem.</p>

<p>Byzantine Fault tolerance is also the name of the consensus algorithm that solves the byzantine generals problem?</p>

<p>I see Ripple as being BFT. Does it mean it uses some custom algorithm, that solves BFT?</p>

<p>I also see Stellar uses BFT, does this mean that Stellar and Ripple Both use different algorithms that solve BFT?</p>

<p>Edit:</p>

<p>Can all Proof of <em>Insert word</em> algorithms be seen to be a part of BFT? Because POW uses a probabilistic model to solve the generals problem, but it is not seen as BFT.</p>

<ripple><consensus><stellar>
Do all consensus algorithms aim to solve the Byzantine generals problem?
Kyle Graham
# Do all consensus algorithms aim to solve the Byzantine generals problem?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-03-31)

Can I clarify my understanding:

Byzantine Fault Tolerance is a characteristic of a system to tolerate a class of failures belonging to the byzantine generals problem.

Byzantine Fault tolerance is also the name of the consensus algorithm that solves the byzantine generals problem?

I see Ripple as being BFT. Does it mean it uses some custom algorithm, that solves BFT?

I also see Stellar uses BFT, does this mean that Stellar and Ripple Both use different algorithms that solve BFT?

Edit:

Can all Proof of *Insert word* algorithms be seen to be a part of BFT? Because POW uses a probabilistic model to solve the generals problem, but it is not seen as BFT.

**Tags:** ripple, consensus, stellar


---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-06-14. Score: 1

The ripple protocol is a centralized distributed algorithm because it involves trusted authorities and it solves nothing.

References: Bitcoin and Beyond: A Technical Survey on Decentralized Digital Currencies. authors: Florian Tschorsch; Björn Scheuermann, link: <https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7423672?casa_token=qsYlY_rL0SgAAAAA:ACzXSE7abH0WmQ_jbBxFjUMvfrug2VC-IwGaYKeA2zcauaUwnFq_i_nBWxp3xA9AnnxHi1Y2KVat> page: 2111. Citations: 1256

An Overview of Blockchain Technology: Architecture, Consensus, and Future Trends, authors: Zibin Zheng; Shaoan Xie; Hongning Dai; Xiangping Chen; Huaimin Wang link: <https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8029379?casa_token=aw05koGwLSsAAAAA:ogGPUTSGclS9wzCSI0DiqtE9TSIaEXsuWo_D-mWpGGvmUYu-RedIrcQgSd6eZkVLVQM6ALhAdjbt>
page: 561 citations: 2059

SoK: Research Perspectives and Challenges for Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies authors: Joseph Bonneau, Andrew Miller, Jeremy Clark, Arvind Narayanan, Joshua A. Kroll, Edward W. Felten page:116 link: <https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=7163021> citations: 1122

A Secure Sharding Protocol For Open Blockchains
link: <https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/2976749.2978389> page: 27 authors: Loi Luu, Viswesh Narayanan,Chaodong Zheng Kunal Baweja,Seth Gilbert,Prateek Saxena citations: 662

[![Bitcoin and Beyond: A Technical Survey on Decentralized Digital Currencies](https://i.sstatic.net/V4ybj.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/V4ybj.png)
[![An Overview of Blockchain Technology: Architecture, Consensus, and Future Trends](https://i.sstatic.net/eVIpt.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/eVIpt.png)
[![SoK: Research Perspectives and Challenges for Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies ](https://i.sstatic.net/FNHLz.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/FNHLz.png)
[![A Secure Sharding Protocol For Open Blockchains
](https://i.sstatic.net/hTxG1.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/hTxG1.png)


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-09-19. Score: 1

To answer your question, no.

BFT-class consensus algorithms seek to solve the Byzantine Generals Problem.

Other consensus algorithms, generally the Nakamato-style consensus algorithms) including PoW (Proof-of-Work, used by Bitcoin) and PoET (Proof of Elapsed Time, used by Sawtooth) do not seek to solve BFT.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-07-04. Score: 0

There are quite a few confusions here. In a nutshell / on an extremely high level:

You are correct that BFT is a generally desirable characteristic of a system. Basically, it just means that people can't fraud the consensus system.

Since you're asking in bitcoin.stackexchange.com BFT is pretty much the *main* thing people are trying to get, without sacrificing too much of other properties. So yes, you can say that all "insert word algorithms" are trying to get BFT because that is basically the premise/foundation of any trustless distributed system.

The algorithm that Ripple/Stellar use are called / are based on an algorithm called PBFT (Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance), which is an unfortunately confusing name.

Now since Stellar forked from Ripple it is no surprise that they happen to be using the same / similar consensus algorithm.

Different consensus algorithms take different "sacrifices" to "solve BFT". PoW sacrifices transaction throughput and energy to achieve BFT. PBFT sacrifices decentralization / censorship-resistance.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: PoW does not solve BFT. It only probabilistically solves it, and only under certain economic assumptions.  

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