Introduction to Blockchain Explorers
Blockchain explorers are essential tools for viewing detailed information about transactions, blocks, and network activity on a blockchain. They function like search engines for cryptocurrency networks, providing transparency and verifiable data. This analysis focuses on a specific Ethereum block to illustrate the kind of data available and how to interpret it.
By examining a real-world example, users can better understand network health, transaction throughput, and miner economics. This knowledge is crucial for developers, investors, and enthusiasts navigating the Web3 ecosystem.
A Deep Dive into Ethereum Block #22,242,066
This block was successfully mined on April 11, 2025, at 12:19:11. It represents a single unit of recorded transactions on the Ethereum network, verified and added to the blockchain by a miner.
Key Block Summary
- Block Height: 22,242,066
- Timestamp: April 11, 2025, 12:19:11
- Miner: 0x95...afe5
- Transactions: 131
- Total Value Transferred: 5.4509 ETH (Approx. $8,312.36 at the time)
- Average Transaction Value: 0.0416 ETH (Approx. $63.45)
The miner, identified only by their public address, received a total block reward for their computational work. This reward is a key incentive for securing the network.
Miner Rewards and Economics
The miner of this block earned two types of rewards:
- Base Block Reward: A fixed amount of new ETH created by the protocol.
- Transaction Fee Reward: The sum of all gas fees paid by users for the transactions included in this block.
For block #22,242,066, the total reward was 0.03639 ETH (approximately $55.21 at the time), comprising a base reward of 0.01478 ETH and a fee reward of 0.02161 ETH. This structure incentivizes miners to prioritize transactions with higher gas fees. To see how these metrics fluctuate in real-time, you can explore more network strategies.
Technical Block Details
The block's technical metadata is a fingerprint of its contents and its place in the blockchain. This data is critical for ensuring the chain's integrity and security.
- Hash: 0xfb5...da5d8 (A unique identifier for this block)
- Parent Hash: 0x0d9...0dbdd (The hash of the previous block, creating the chain)
- Gas Used: 13,549,498 (37.71% of the block's gas limit)
- Gas Limit: 35,929,691 (The maximum computational work allowed in the block)
- Difficulty: 0.00000 (A value indicating mining difficulty post-Ethereum's Merge to Proof-of-Stake)
The Importance of Gas in Ethereum Blocks
Gas is the unit that measures the computational effort required to execute operations on the Ethereum network. Every transaction or smart contract interaction consumes gas.
Blocks have a gas limit, which caps the total amount of computational work that can be included. In this block, only 37.71% of the available gas limit was used, indicating it was not full. This suggests network congestion was low at the time, typically resulting in lower transaction fees for users.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a blockchain explorer?
A blockchain explorer is an online tool that allows anyone to search and view all transactions, blocks, wallet addresses, and other on-chain data on a cryptocurrency network. It provides complete transparency into the public ledger.
How does a miner earn rewards?
Miners or validators earn rewards for adding new blocks to the blockchain. The reward is typically a combination of newly minted cryptocurrency (the base reward) and all the transaction fees from the transactions included in that block.
What does 'Gas Used' mean?
Gas Used refers to the total amount of computational units consumed by all the transactions within a single block. It is a measure of the actual processing workload required to validate the block's transactions.
Why is the Parent Hash important?
The Parent Hash is the cryptographic fingerprint of the previous block. It creates an unbreakable chain of blocks because each block references the one before it. Altering any block would invalidate all subsequent blocks.
What does a low block capacity indicate?
A low gas usage percentage, or block capacity, often indicates that the network is not congested. This usually leads to lower transaction fees for users, as there is less competition to get transactions included in the next block.
How can I use this data?
This public data can be used to analyze network health, track transaction status, verify wallet balances, audit smart contract interactions, and research market trends. For a deeper dive into utilizing on-chain data, get advanced methods.