區塊鏈去中心化的神話

去中心化是區塊鏈技術的基礎，預計將為中心化系統提供更具彈性和抗審查性的替代方案。但業界領先的協議真的像他們聲稱的那樣去中心化嗎？

Blockchains are touted as decentralized alternatives to centralized systems, promising greater resilience and resistance to censorship. However, a closer examination reveals that the industry's leading protocols may not be as decentralized as they claim.

區塊鏈被吹捧為集中式系統的去中心化替代品，承諾具有更大的彈性和對審查的抵抗力。然而，仔細檢查就會發現，業界領先的協議可能不像他們聲稱的那樣去中心化。

Decentralization can be measured along several dimensions. One straightforward metric is the number of entities participating in a network's validation or block-mining process. However, other factors can also enhance or erode decentralization:

去中心化可以從幾個維度來衡量。一個簡單的指標是參與網路驗證或區塊挖掘過程的實體數量。然而，其他因素也可能增強或削弱權力下放：

The following table compares the degree of decentralization of leading protocols across these dimensions:

下表比較了主要協議在這些維度上的去中心化程度：

Decentralization does come at a cost: the greater the distance between peers, the higher the latency. Latency is critical for validators to complete assigned tasks within a reasonable time frame. Missing these deadlines results in lost rewards for validators, incentivizing them to locate their nodes closer to larger clusters of peers, thereby increasing centralization. Similarly, smaller block sizes or shorter block durations lead to higher centralization incentives.

去中心化確實是有代價的：點之間的距離越遠，延遲就越高。延遲對於驗證者在合理的時間範圍內完成分配的任務至關重要。錯過這些最後期限會導致驗證者失去獎勵，從而激勵他們將節點定位在距離更大的對等集群更近的地方，從而提高中心化程度。同樣，較小的區塊大小或較短的區塊持續時間會導致更高的中心化激勵。

In essence, many protocols indirectly penalize decentralization by reducing the rewards for those who deploy infrastructure in territories where no one else is present. These pioneers bear the burden of blockchain resilience with no incentive other than the satisfaction of performing a necessary task in a neglected location.

從本質上講，許多協議透過減少那些在沒有其他人存在的地區部署基礎設施的人的獎勵來間接懲罰權力下放。這些先驅者承擔著區塊鏈彈性的重擔，除了在被忽視的地方執行必要任務的滿足感之外沒有任何激勵。

Only a handful of protocols provide some form of predictable and explicit incentives at the protocol level (e.g., higher priority in proposing blocks, increased issuance rewards for participation) to drive network decentralization. In most cases, these incentives are handled as ad-hoc grants or delegations from the protocol foundations to specific network participants.

只有少數協議在協議層級提供某種形式的可預測和明確的激勵（例如，提出區塊的更高優先事項、增加參與的發行獎勵）來推動網路去中心化。在大多數情況下，這些激勵措施被視為協議基金會向特定網路參與者的臨時撥款或委託。

If decentralization is truly the cornerstone of blockchain's ethos, then the industry must act accordingly. Protocols need to adopt mechanisms that incentivize nodes to operate in diverse jurisdictions, be hosted on independent facilities, and use varied client software (where applicable). Without such incentives, the natural pull of economic efficiency will drive centralization, threatening blockchain's own promise of censorship resistance and resilience.

如果去中心化確實是區塊鏈精神的基石，那麼產業就必須採取相應的行動。協議需要採用激勵節點在不同司法管轄區運作、託管在獨立設施上並使用不同客戶端軟體（如果適用）的機制。如果沒有這樣的激勵措施，經濟效率的自然拉動將推動集中化，威脅到區塊鏈自身抗審查性和彈性的承諾。

The future of blockchain lies in networks that are designed to remain decentralized, not by chance or goodwill, but inherently. Let's ensure that decentralization is not merely an aspiration but a tangible, incentivized reality.

區塊鏈的未來在於旨在保持去中心化的網絡，這不是偶然或善意，而是本質上的。讓我們確保去中心化不只是一個願望，而是一個切實的、有激勵作用的現實。