Decentralized Systems Engineering: Consensus and Fault Tolerance

This lecture covers the fundamentals of decentralized systems engineering, focusing on consensus algorithms like Paxos and Multi-Paxos, as well as fault tolerance mechanisms. The instructor discusses key concepts such as logical clocks, Byzantine faults, and the Byzantine Generals Problem. The lecture also delves into Threshold Logical Clocks, fault-tolerant consensus, and the challenges of surviving faults in distributed systems. Additionally, the lecture explores the practical applications of fault-tolerant systems in real-world scenarios, such as network partitions and the importance of redundancy. The session concludes with an overview of permissionless consensus, blockchain structures, and key ideas behind Bitcoin, including Proof-of-Work and the assumptions underlying the Bitcoin protocol.