📦 Dissecting Blocks: Every Detail Revealed

Explore block headers, timestamps, and the data that makes each block unique

📦 Exploring Blocks

Blocks are the containers that hold batches of transactions. Let's explore how to read block data and understand what each field means.

🎮 Interactive Block Browser

Click on any block to see its details:

Recent Blocks

📊 Block Height Navigator

Jump to any block by adjusting the height:

Block Height:#850,000
#845,000#855,000
Estimated Time
0 seconds ago
Distance from Tip
5,000 blocks

🔍 Understanding Block Fields

Block Height / Number

Sequential position in the blockchain. Genesis block = 0, next = 1, etc. Higher number means more recent.

Block Hash

Unique identifier (64-character hex string) created by hashing block contents. Changes if anything in the block changes.

Parent Hash

Hash of the previous block. This links blocks together into a chain - changing one block breaks all subsequent blocks.

Timestamp

When the block was mined. Not perfectly accurate (can be off by seconds) but gives rough chronological ordering.

Miner / Validator

Address that produced this block. In PoW they're miners, in PoS they're validators. They receive block rewards + fees.

Transaction Count

How many transactions are included in this block. Blocks have size/gas limits, so this varies (50-300+ typical on Ethereum).

⚡ Block Production Stats

⏱️
~12s
Ethereum Block Time
⛓️
~10m
Bitcoin Block Time
🚀
~400ms
Solana Block Time

Block times vary by blockchain design. Faster ≠ better - there are trade-offs with decentralization and security.

💡 Pro Tips for Block Exploration

1️⃣
Check Latest Blocks for Network Health: Consistent block times mean healthy network. Gaps suggest issues.
2️⃣
Use Block Number for Time Reference: Want to know when something happened? Block number + block time = approximate timestamp.
3️⃣
Monitor Block Size/Gas Used: Consistently full blocks indicate high network demand and higher fees.
4️⃣
Follow Miner/Validator Distribution: Healthy blockchain has many different block producers, not just a few.