# Eth2 Consensus Mechanisms: GHOST and LMD-GHOST Fork Choice

DevFeed: [Eth2 Consensus Mechanisms: GHOST and LMD-GHOST Fork Choice](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/validated-staking-on-eth2-2-two-ghosts-in-a-trench-coat-16888.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.ethereum.org/en/2020/02/12/validated-staking-on-eth2-2-two-ghosts-in-a-trench-coat>)

Author: Carl Beekhuizen

Published: 2020-02-12T00:00:00Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [Ethereum Foundation Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/ethereum-foundation-blog.md>)

Topics: [Algorithm](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/algorithm.md>), [Protocol (disambiguation)](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/protocol.md>), [Network](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/network.md>), [Latency](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/latency.md>)

Tags: [algorithm](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/algorithm.md>), [consensus](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/consensus.md>), [distributed-system](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/distributed-system.md>), [latency](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/latency.md>), [network](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/network.md>), [pos](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/pos.md>), [protocol](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/protocol.md>), [research-development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/research-development.md>)

## AI overview

This article explains the consensus mechanisms behind eth2, focusing on GHOST and its proof-of-stake variant, Latest Message Driven GHOST (LMD-GHOST). It describes how LMD-GHOST uses each validator's latest vote to select the chain head and how GHOST can reduce attack effectiveness and chain reorganization depth under high network latency.

## Source excerpt

Special thanks to Sacha Yves Saint-Leger & Danny Ryan for review. In this installment, we'll discuss the consensus mechanisms behind eth2. Eth2 has a novel approach to deciding which block is the head of the chain, along with which blocks are and are not a part of the chain....