What do we call the chain that is finally agreed upon by the chain selection rule?

Question: What do we call the chain that is finally agreed upon by the chain selection rule?

We will explore one of the key concepts in blockchain technology: the chain selection rule. The chain selection rule is the mechanism that determines which chain of blocks is considered the valid one by the network. The chain selection rule is important because it ensures that there is a consensus among the nodes about the state of the ledger and the transactions that have been confirmed.

One of the challenges of blockchain technology is that there is no central authority that can validate and broadcast new blocks. Instead, each node in the network has to independently verify and propagate new blocks. This means that sometimes, different nodes may have different views of the blockchain, especially when there are network delays or malicious actors. For example, two nodes may receive two different blocks that extend the same parent block, creating a fork in the chain.

To resolve this situation, the network needs to agree on which fork to follow and which one to discard. This is where the chain selection rule comes in. The chain selection rule is a set of criteria that each node uses to decide which chain is the best one to follow. The best chain is the one that has the most cumulative proof of work, or the highest difficulty. This means that the chain that has the most computational power invested in it is the one that is accepted by the network.

The best chain is also called the canonical chain or the main chain. The canonical chain is the chain that is finally agreed upon by the chain selection rule. The canonical chain represents the true and final state of the ledger, and any transactions that are included in it are considered confirmed and irreversible. Any other chains that are not part of the canonical chain are called **orphan chains** or **stale chains**. These chains are eventually abandoned by the network, and any transactions that are included in them are considered invalid and reversible.

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