Definition
An authority set is the formally recognized collection of entities or nodes that hold the right to participate in block production and consensus within a permissioned or semi-permissioned blockchain or subnet. As a network-level role construct, it specifies which validators are authorized at a given time, typically under a defined consensus scheme, and serves as the reference set for validating blocks, signatures, and finality decisions.
In Simple Terms
An authority set is the official list of nodes that are allowed to create and validate blocks in certain blockchains. It defines which validators are currently trusted by the protocol to help decide which blocks become part of the canonical chain.
Context and Usage
The term authority set is most often used in the context of Proof of Authority and related consensus protocols, where validator participation is restricted to a designated group. Discussions of authority set typically arise in protocol specifications, governance decisions about adding or removing validators, and analyses of finality and security assumptions. It is a core notion for reasoning about which nodes effectively control consensus at any point in time.