# Consensus Mechanisms > **Machine-Evolution Nexus:** [[articles/Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution|Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution]] provides the evolutionary and computational context for this supporting concept. **Domain:** Distributed Systems / Governance **Doc Type:** Supporting Canonical Node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition Consensus mechanisms are protocols by which distributed participants agree on valid state and ordering despite failures or disagreement. ## Nexus Context They determine which ledger history persists and therefore act as governance infrastructure, not as natural selection in the strict biological sense. ## Relationships [[wiki/Blockchain|Blockchain]], [[wiki/Distributed Ledgers|Distributed Ledgers]], [[wiki/Hard Fork|Hard Fork]], [[wiki/Algorithmic Coordination Systems|Algorithmic Coordination Systems]] ## Sources / Provenance - Developed from the cited research in the central article and the surrounding continuity, rights and evolutionary architecture.