simplified proof of work explanation. demonstrates the fundamental idea: a participant must perform repeated computations until they find a solution that satisfies a specified condition.

pow.py

import base64, hashlib, os

print('Searching for a key with valid hash. Hold tight, this might take a minute...')
threshold = 2 ** 234
attempts = 0
while True:
    attempts += 1
    seed = os.urandom(50)
    h = int.from_bytes(hashlib.sha256(seed).digest(), 'big')
    if attempts % 100_000 == 0:
        print('.', end='', flush=True)
    if h < threshold:
        key = base64.b64encode(seed).decode().rstrip('=')
        print(f'\nSuccess! Key found after {attempts:,} attempts:\n\n    {key}\n')
        break

verify_key.py

import base64
import hashlib

# Define the threshold (must match the original threshold)
threshold = 2 ** 234

# Function to verify the proof-of-work key
def verify_key(proof_key):
    # Decode the Base64 key (reversing the encoding done earlier)
    try:
        seed = base64.b64decode(proof_key + '==')  # Add padding back
    except Exception as e:
        print("Invalid key format.")
        return False

    # Hash the seed and convert to an integer
    h = int.from_bytes(hashlib.sha256(seed).digest(), 'big')
    
    # Check if hash value meets the required threshold
    if h < threshold:
        print("Valid key! Proof-of-work verified.")
        return True
    else:
        print("Invalid key! Proof-of-work condition not met.")
        return False

# Example usage: suppose 'key' is the one generated by the original program
key = "example_generated_key_from_previous_program"  # replace with the actual key
verify_key(key)