Proof-of-Work, as its name suggests, is a blockchain mechanism that utilizes real computational power as a main resource to validate transactions and keep the network secure simultaneously. In this mechanism, miners are the participants who toil with huge computers to try and solve intricate mathematical problems faster than anyone else. The one who manages to be the quickest in solving the riddle provides the validator for new block addition and gets rewarded, commonly in some form of cryptocurrency.
What lies at the heart of Proof-of-Work, is the concept of cost. These puzzles need lots of time, electricity, and hardware to be solved which eventually makes the process of cheating uneconomical. An intruder trying to change the history of transactions or trying to control the blockchain would have to do an overwhelming amount of work again and do it before the whole network, which is nearly impossible in the case of large and mature blockchains.
Proof-of-Work is popularly associated with Bitcoin, the very first cryptocurrency, securing it mainly. The technology behind it demonstrated that a decentralized scenario could thrive without an authority while at the same time being reliable. However, the high energy consumption of PoW has been one of the main reasons behind its criticism, especially since mining has grown to be an industrial-scale activity.
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Due to these issues, some of the newer blockchains have turned to alternatives such as Proof-of-Stake. Nevertheless, Proof-of-Work is still considered one of the most trustworthy and tried ways of securing decentralized networks and also ensuring the integrity of transactions.