Byzantine Generals Problem: A Practical Implementation
2025-08-05
This article implements a classic distributed algorithm: the Byzantine Generals Problem. This problem simulates a scenario where a group of generals needs to reach consensus in the presence of traitors. The author implements Lamport's oral messages solution using Python and Flask, demonstrating how consensus can be reached in a system with N nodes and up to M traitors, when N≥3M+1. The article details the algorithm's flow, message paths, and traitor handling strategies. It analyzes the complexity and limitations, ultimately implementing a working system to validate the theoretical correctness. The author also notes the difficulties encountered when using LLMs to implement the algorithm.
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