Definition
An attestation is a cryptographically signed statement produced by a participant in a blockchain consensus protocol, asserting a specific view of the chain’s state or of a proposed block at a given time. As a system component, it serves as formal evidence of a validator’s vote or opinion regarding block validity, chain head, or checkpoint alignment within a defined consensus period.
In Simple Terms
An attestation is a digital, cryptographically signed vote that records what a validator believes the correct state of the blockchain is at a specific moment. It acts as formal proof of that validator’s position about which block or checkpoint should be recognized by the network.
Context and Usage
Attestations are central in Proof of Stake environments where validators periodically issue signed statements during each epoch to indicate support for particular blocks or checkpoints. They are aggregated, stored, and referenced by the protocol to determine finality and to track validator behavior. As a system component, attestations link validator identities, time segments such as epochs, and the protocol’s finality rules into a coherent consensus record.