Principle 2 of 10
Decentralisation
Consensus power must be measurable, permissionless, and resistant to concentration.
ProtoLedger uses the Nakamoto Coefficient as the primary decentralisation metric: the minimum number of independent entities required to collude to compromise the system. A coefficient of 1 means a single entity controls the system. A coefficient above 100 indicates meaningful decentralisation. No real blockchain currently achieves a Nakamoto Coefficient above 10 across all subsystems simultaneously.
Scoring Rubric
| Score | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 7–10 | Nakamoto Coefficient > 100 across all subsystems; permissionless participation; no entity holds > 1% of consensus power. |
| 4–6 | Coefficient > 20; permissionless but with high capital requirements. |
| 0–3 | Coefficient < 5; permissioned validator set; or founding team controls upgrade path. |
Data Sources
- Nakamoto coefficient calculations
- Validator set data
- Mining pool distribution
- CoinMetrics