Understanding Blockchain Confirmations: Reorgs, Probabilistic vs Deterministic Finality
Why exchanges require 1 to 60 confirmations before crediting deposits across Bitcoin, Ethereum PoS, and Solana.
Clear explanation of confirmation depth, block reorganizations, 51% attack risks, and finality differences between PoW and PoS.
1. Probabilistic vs Deterministic Finality
Proof-of-Work systems like Bitcoin provide probabilistic finality: as subsequent blocks are appended atop your transaction's block, the thermodynamic energy required to reorganize history grows exponentially.
Ethereum PoS uses Casper FFG to achieve deterministic finality after two epochs (~12.8 minutes), slashing validators who vote for conflicting checkpoints.
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