Understanding HALO Network’s Consensus Mechanism (HPOS)

4 min readOct 17, 2021

A blockchain operates based on consensus. Transactions are approved within the tenets of the consensus algorithm. For POS chains, a validator’s native token holding decides the validator’s access to block confirmation, affecting the block reward earned.

HALO Network uses a consensus mechanism derived from the POS type. The consensus mechanism of the HALO Network is called HPOS — an indication of its proof of stake origin.

What Is HPOS?

HALO Network is built on the HPOS consensus, a twisted version of POS. From afar, the HPOS is consistent with the properties of the POS — validators have to stake HO, HALO Network’s native token, to take part in block activities. Nevertheless, the HPOS might be considered an improved version of the POS as there are several alternations to the consensus mechanism that puts it above reproach.

The HPOS differs from the regular POS consensus in the former’s scalable nature. HALO Network’s consensus mechanism can support lathe volume transactions without the blockchain witnessing any service disruption. Recall that a few months ago, Solana experienced a large number of transactions, resulting in the blockchain’s nodes being shut down — a clear sign of that network’s more centralized setup and poor scalability.

How HPOS Works

In this consensus mechanism, about 99 HALO nodes can be online at any given time. Of course, there might be many more nodes on the fringes, but the digital ledger relies on several factors like network stability, voting, and the hardware capability of the nodes to confirm what nodes make the jump.

Being a HALO node isn’t the end; these entities still have to produce blocks else they get demoted. The HPOS consensus helps improve the efficacy of the HALO Network, removing deadwood nodes that keep a blockchain from operating at an optimal level.

In HALO Network, blocks are produced every 5 seconds, which says a lot about the scalability of the blockchain.

Where the Bitcoin blockchain produces a block every 10 minutes, HALO Network does so in 5 seconds. This points to the fast-paced nature of HALO Network compared to the archaic Bitcoin Network.

The increased speed of block generation will impact the completion of transactions on the blockchain. HALO Network supports as much as 1000 transactions per second thanks to the blockchain’s fast block generation. If blockchain networks are to compete with their centralized counterpart, then there isn’t the for higher TPS, which explains HALO Network’s use of the HPOS.

HALO Network’s HPOS sees the inclusion of HALO Oracle in the contract layer. Considering the importance of decentralized Oracle in the De-Fi ecosystem, the HPOS plays an integral role in the entire setup. This will make the blockchain the preferred destination of DeFi dapps — a significant milestone for any digital ledger.

On-chain Governance

HPOS consensus algorithm supports on-chain governance where HO holders have to pledge their HO tokens to partake in it. Block rewards are distributed based on assets staked on-chain.

The Choice Of HPOS

Aside from the faster transactions, the HPOS is suited for the proliferation of DeFi dapps. With HALO Network looking to support the rise of disruptive technologies, the choice of HPOS is a no-brainer. That high TPS will see DeFi protocols on the HALO Network being more efficient than their counterparts on another existing chain.

Interestingly, HALO Network provides the environment for existing dapps to thrive. Those DeFi protocols on the Ethereum chain can have a satellite existence on HALO Network thanks to the hardware configuration setting similarity on both chains.

How HPOS Keeps HALO Network Safe

On HALO Network, the choice of consensus keeps the blockchain safe. One of the vulnerabilities prevented is malicious attacks. HPOS replication proof protects HALO Network as proofs are verified.

The consensus mechanism also makes the network impregnable to DOS attacks. HPOS consensus uses the replication approach to secure the blockchain.

Conclusion

HPOS consensus mechanism might be a POS variant, but it’s a perfect fit for HALO Network. The efficacy of the blockchain consensus mechanism is unparalleled elsewhere. With the support for large transactions, HPOS consensus algorithm makes HALO Network appealing to the DeFi public. Imagine what would happen if every DeFi protocol wants to build their dapp on the blockchain, it will be game-changing for the blockchain.