is ethereum a pos or pow 
ethereum uses proof of stake as its consensus mechanic full validator nodes require a stake of 32 eth but other participants can take part in consensus by delegating their eth to a validator or participating in staking pools users can also stake small amounts of eth on their own but no rewards are earned the bottom lineproof of stake is a mechanism used to verify blockchain transactions it differs from proof of work significantly mainly in the fact that it incentivizes honest behavior by rewarding those who put their crypto up as collateral for a chance to earn more the comments opinions and analyses expressed on investopedia are for informational purposes online read our warranty and liability disclaimer for more info 