NEAR is based on the Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) consensus algorithm and uses sharding to optimize performance. However, unlike sharding in other cryptocurrencies like Polkadot, all SHARDS NEAR are treated as part of the same blockchain. In addition, NEAR uses Rainbow Bridge to provide interaction with Ethereum. The integrity of the blockchain is guaranteed by the Nightshade mechanism because only a summary of the current status of each shard is added to the block in the NEAR blockchain. Each shard maintains its own set of validator nodes that exceed their shard status whenever a block is generated.