Quick answer
A block is a batch of network-approved transactions or state changes added to a blockchain.
What is Block?
A block packages new transactions with metadata that lets nodes check its position and validity. The exact fields vary by network, but blocks normally link to earlier history and follow the chain’s consensus rules.
The useful way to approach this term is to separate its definition from the assumptions people often attach to it. In crypto, the same word can appear in a protocol rule, a user interface, a market-data label, or a marketing claim. Check which layer the explanation is describing.
Why does block matter?
Understanding blocks makes confirmations, reorgs, block explorers, mining, and finality easier to interpret. It also helps distinguish a pending transaction from one recorded in a block.
Concrete example
See it in a real situation
When a Bitcoin transaction appears in block 850,000, an explorer can show the block hash, time, included transaction, and later blocks built on top of it.
Common misconceptions
What this term does not mean
- A block confirmation is not the same as a guarantee that an exchange has credited a deposit.
- A block is not necessarily produced at a perfectly fixed time interval.
Related terms
Sources and further reading
Definitions are written for education and checked against the sources below where relevant. A source can explain a protocol or rule without endorsing every product built around it.