The hardest problem a decentralised network solves is agreement. With no central server, how do thousands of independent Malairte nodes scattered around the world all end up holding the exact same blockchain? The answer is consensus rules - a shared rulebook that every node enforces identically.
Everyone runs the same rulebook
Consensus rules define what makes a block valid: the proof-of-work target, the format of transactions, the block reward schedule, and dozens of finer points. Crucially, every honest node checks these rules for itself. Because they all use the same rulebook, they all reach the same verdict on any given block. Agreement is not negotiated - it falls out of everyone applying identical logic to identical data.
Proof-of-work picks the winner
Sometimes two miners find a block at nearly the same moment and the network briefly sees two candidate tips. Nodes resolve this by following the chain with the most accumulated proof-of-work. As soon as one branch gets the next block, it pulls ahead, and every node switches to it. The shorter branch is abandoned. This is why a freshly mined block is not final until a few more blocks build on top of it.
Why nodes reject invalid blocks
- A block with bad proof-of-work is thrown away instantly.
- A block containing an invalid transaction is rejected whole.
- A block that tries to mint more reward than the rules allow is refused.
Because every node enforces this, a miner cannot cheat by producing a rule-breaking block. The rest of the network simply will not accept it, and the cheating miner wastes their work.
Forks and reorganisations
A short-lived fork is normal and self-healing. The network converges on the heaviest chain within a block or two. A reorganisation happens when a node sees a heavier competing branch and rewinds to follow it. For deep, long history this effectively never happens, which is why older transactions are treated as settled.
What a node operator contributes
By running a node you are an independent referee. You enforce the rules from your own copy of the chain, with no need to trust a miner or an exchange. If a powerful party tried to change the rules - say, to inflate the supply - your node would reject their blocks, and so would every other honest node. The rules hold because the people enforcing them are spread out and independent.
The takeaway
Consensus on Malairte is not a vote and not a committee. It is the emergent result of many independent nodes each applying the same strict rules to the same data, with proof-of-work breaking any ties. That is what lets strangers who will never meet agree on a single shared ledger.