Proof of Work (PoW) - Consensus - tokens-economy.gitbook.io  ## Metadata - Author: **tokens-economy.gitbook.io** - Full Title: Proof of Work (PoW) - Consensus - Category: #articles - Tags: #epistemology #web3 - URL: https://tokens-economy.gitbook.io/consensus/chain-based-proof-of-work/proof-of-work-pow-1 ## Highlights - PoW was originally invented as a means to combat spam (see hashcash)if you make it computationally expensive to send email then spamming would be cost prohibitive while still being almost free for a normal user to send email.Bitcoin, which made the blockchain technology popular, developed the so-called Proof of Work (PoW) algorithm. In principle, each participant on the Bitcoin network can participate in the block generation. In order to confirm the transaction and enter a block into the blockchain, a miner has to provide an answer, or a proof, to a specific challenge. Miners use PoW to validate transactions and mining new coins, but its main goal is to block potential cyber-attacks or suspicious activities within the network. - Tags: #blue