powpy 0.1.1

A simple proof of work using SHA-256 hashes

Proof of work

A simple Proof Of Work module made with python

POW ALGORITHM

The algorythm used in this module is very simple: The inputs are an initial SHA-256 hash (that could be the last proof of work hash, like in bitcoin system) and a difficult in number of zeroes. That means the number of zeroes that the resulting hash must have at it's begining.

Starting with those two arguments, the script now makes a new random hash. That's the proof of work. This new hash has to meet a condition:

1. The new hash is attached to the initial hash
2. The script now converts those two joint hashes (initial + new) into another hash. (Resulting hash)
3. If the resulting hash begins with the specified number of zeroes, the proof of work is valid.
4. The information returned is: (proof_of_work_hash, resulting_hash, number_of_attempts)

Notice that the resulting hash may have more zeroes than the specified. The difficult is a minimum.

For curious people: What is a proof of work?

Other methods

proof_of_work() is not the only method contained in this module. Here's an explanation of some others:

• random_hash(): Returns a random SHA-256 hash.
• make_hash(string): Converts a string into a SHA-256 hash.

How to use it

From pip: pip install powpy From github repository: Download and run setup.py