What is Difficulty?

Difficulty (Difficulty) is a parameter that is used in some blockchain consensus algorithms to determine the complexity of solving a cryptographic problem. It affects how difficult or easy it is for miners (cryptocurrency mining specialists) to find a new solution to the problem and add a new block to the blockchain.

How Complexity works (Difficulty)

The Difficulty algorithm is based on the Proof-of-Work algorithm, which requires miners to solve complex mathematical problems. These tasks are related to finding a specific hash function value that meets certain criteria. The higher the Difficulty value, the more complex the problem is and the more computational resources are required to solve it.

The Difficulty value is automatically recalculated at certain time intervals, depending on the speed of adding new blocks to the blockchain. If blocks are added too quickly, the Difficulty value increases, which makes the task more difficult. Conversely, if blocks are added slowly, the Difficulty value decreases, making the task less difficult.

This allows you to maintain the stability and security of the network, and also prevents the possibility of a "51% attack", when one participant or group of participants controls more than half of the network's computing power and can manipulate data to their advantage.

Examples of Difficulty in cryptocurrency

• Bitcoin: In the Bitcoin Difficulty network, it is recalculated every 2016 blocks (approximately once every two weeks). This allows you to maintain the average time to add a new block in 10 minutes.

• Ethereum: On the Ethereum network, Difficulty is recalculated after each block. This allows you to respond faster to changes in the speed of adding ad blocks.

It is important to note that the Difficulty value can change depending on various factors, such as changes in the computing power of the network, changes in the complexity of algorithms, etc. Therefore, it is important to keep track of the current Difficulty values for each specific cryptocurrency.

Thus, Complexity is an important parameter that ensures the stability and security of the blockchain. It helps prevent abuse by large participants and supports an even distribution of computing power among network participants.