Full details of how blockchain blocks are chained together

6 months ago

Blockchain blocks are chained via cryptographic hashes of previous blocks, but the high-level explanation oversimplifies the process.
Bitcoin blocks include the hash of the previous block's header, not the entire block.
The header of a Bitcoin block is typically the first 80 bytes, excluding the initial 8-byte magic number.
Bitcoin uses double SHA256 hashing (SHA256²) for block headers.
The hash of a block header often ends with zeros due to the proof-of-work requirement, which is displayed in little-endian order.
Miners adjust nonce values and transaction orders to achieve a hash below a target value, proving computational effort.
The Merkle tree root in the header ensures block integrity, as any change in the block body alters the header's hash.

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