Creating a Muti-Algorithm simple Proof-Of-Work library in Rust
I had an idea for a project that required Proof of Work as a part of it, but I couldn’t find any Rust libraries that would have Argon2id or Scrypt algorithms and were meant to provide proof of work functionality without being tied to a specific blockchain. So, I decided to develop my own. When I was doing so, I wanted to show how Rust’s data types can make such things easy and clean.
Okay, but what is PoW? Proof of Work is like solving a puzzle – an expensive task for a computer. It’s proof that your computer has done something difficult. It’s mostly used in cryptocurrency blockchains during mining, proving that the miner has completed the puzzle (equivalent to going to a mine and digging with a pickaxe for gold and silver). However, it’s not necessarily meant only for mining. Another common example of its use is for preventing spam on a network, which was the reason I needed to use it. For example, Bitmessage, which was an old (now defunct) P2P email network, used it to prevent spam on the network.
The idea is pretty straightforward. I wanted a library that is expandable, meaning multiple algorithms can be added to it without breaking everything. Secondly, I needed it to be general-purpose. I didn’t want it to be meant for one specific blockchain; I wanted it to handle any data and verify any data using it.
