What Is a Block?
Think of a block as a page in a digital ledger. It's a permanent record that contains a batch of recent, confirmed Bitcoin transactions. New blocks are added to the end of the blockchain in chronological order.
What's Inside a Block?
Each block securely bundles together thousands of transactions. It also includes a reference to the previous block, creating a secure, unbroken chain.
Block Time
A new block is discovered and added to the blockchain approximately every 10 minutes. This consistent timing is a core feature of the Bitcoin protocol, ensuring a predictable rate of new bitcoin creation.
Connecting the Chain
This process of adding new blocks is known as mining. Miners compete to solve a complex puzzle, and the winner gets to create the next block, earning a reward in the process.
Why Blocks Matter
Blocks are the fundamental building blocks of Bitcoin's security model. By batching transactions into blocks and linking them together with cryptography, the blockchain becomes incredibly difficult to alter, making Bitcoin transactions secure and irreversible.