Added a new file proof_of_work.py which is used in most blockchains

blockchain/proof_of_work.py

@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+"""Proof of Work (PoW) is a consensus algorithm used in blockchain systems
+like Bitcoin. In PoW, network participants (miners) solve complex mathematical
+puzzles to validate transactions and add new blocks to the blockchain.
+This resource-intensive process ensures the security and integrity of
+the network by requiring computational work and discouraging malicious actors."""
+
+
+import hashlib
+import random
+import string
+
+# Define the difficulty target (number of leading zeros)
+difficulty = 4
+
+
+def generate_random_string(length):
+    # Generate a random string of given length
+    characters = string.ascii_letters + string.digits
+    return "".join(random.choice(characters) for _ in range(length))
+
+
+def proof_of_work(difficulty):
+    # Create a target with the specified number of leading zeros
+    target = "0" * difficulty
+
+    # Initialize a nonce
+    nonce = 0
+
+    while True:
+        # Generate a random string for the data (you can replace this with your data)
+        data = generate_random_string(16)
+
+        # Concatenate the data and nonce
+        combined_data = data + str(nonce)
+
+        # Calculate the hash of the combined data using SHA-256
+        sha256_hash = hashlib.sha256(combined_data.encode()).hexdigest()
+
+        # Check if the hash meets the difficulty target
+        if sha256_hash[:difficulty] == target:
+            print(f"Nonce found: {nonce}")
+            print(f"Hash: {sha256_hash}")
+            break
+
+        # Increment the nonce for the next iteration
+        nonce += 1
+
+
+# Run the Proof of Work with the specified difficulty
+proof_of_work(difficulty)
+
+"""In this code:
+
+'difficulty'  specifies the number of leading zeros that the resulting hash must have to be considered a valid solution.
+
+'generate_random_string(length)' generates a random string of the specified length. You can replace this with your actual data.
+
+'proof_of_work(difficulty)' is the main function that performs the PoW.
+It generates random data, concatenates it with a nonce, calculates the SHA-256 hash,
+and checks if the hash meets the difficulty target. If not, it increments the nonce
+and continues until a valid hash is found.
+"""