Block Header

Written by Max Hinchman

Introduction

The block header is a component of the block of data produced in a blockchain produced when a candidate block is mined using unconfirmed transactions from the memory pool.

First, the candidate block is hashed in order to the form the merkle tree and is then hashed continuously until a merkle root hash is produced. Then the block header is formed using the root hash, the previous block’s hash, the nonce, the timestamp, the target size of the hash in bytes, and the version number of the software. The miner then hashes the block header which then produces the block hash. The block hash is then mined repeatedly, using a different nonce each time until the hash is below the target value. If the hash is greater than the target value, the miner hashes again using a different nonce.

The miner repeats the process until he finds a hash below the target value or until another finds a hash below the target value. The new block is then added to the chain of previous blocks of transactions. All active participants all have access to the most updated chain of transactions. While networks differ on how the blocks of created and added, the end result for all blockchain networks is that a new data block is linked together with previous data block

Suggested Reading

What Is a Block in the Blockchain? by Marko Vidrih