Proof of Work
noun
The canonical meaning of proof of work, which came first.
Before it described a way of validating blockchain transactions, the phrase meant the plain thing it sounds like: evidence that the work was actually done. That is the meaning we use, and it is the older one. Why the market needs the word back, with the data behind it, is set out in the case for work provenance.
A computational process where network participants expend energy solving complex puzzles to validate transactions and secure a distributed ledger.
Documented evidence that a professional actually did the work they claim: logged, verified by the client who received it, and permanently provable.
What counts as proof of work on Can0nical
Four conditions. A record that misses any of them is a claim, not proof. They hold for everyone in the loop, which is the argument the benefits pages make from each side of it.
The professional records what they delivered
Written while it is fresh: the project, the outcome, the client it was for. A claim, at this point. Nothing more.
The client who received it confirms
Not the professional, not a friend, not a hand-picked referee. Confirmation comes from the party with something to lose if it were false. One tap, no account.
The confirmed result is sealed
Once confirmed, the entry cannot be quietly edited, back-dated or deleted later. What you see is what was confirmed, unchanged.
Anyone can check it independently
Every record carries an identifier that can be verified without an account, without contacting us, and without our permission.
Don’t take our word for it either.
The point of proof is that it does not require trusting the person presenting it. If someone sends you a Can0nical record, you can check it yourself in seconds. No account, no request to us, no waiting.
Check a recordBuild your own proof of work.
Log what you delivered, send it to the client who received it, and keep the confirmed result for good.