Glossary
Nakamoto Consensus
The original blockchain consensus rule from Bitcoin: follow the chain with the most accumulated proof-of-work, settle disputes by which chain has been mined the longest.
Nakamoto Consensus is the rule Satoshi described in the original 2008 Bitcoin paper: nodes always follow the chain with the most accumulated proof-of-work. When two valid chains exist simultaneously, miners pile onto whichever they see first; the longer one wins as soon as a new block is found.
The rule is simple and probabilistic — finality is statistical rather than explicit, and reorgs of recent blocks are normal. It remains the consensus of Bitcoin and many PoW chains; modern PoS systems (Casper FFG, Tendermint, Solana's Tower BFT) trade its simplicity for explicit finality.