Read Blocks

A block is a change to the blockchain storage with a batch of changes that happen simultaneously. With VeChain, every ~10s a new block is generated, even if no transaction has been published.

The most relevant information for interacting with Blocks includes:

• number: the number of the block

• id: a unique id representing the block

• parentID: the previous block the block is based on

• timestamp: the unix time at which the block was stored

• isFinalized: is the block securely finalized in a snapshot

• transactions: contain either all transaction ids or full transaction details including receipts

There are two methods to obtain block details:

1. The compressed version, which includes all data and only the transaction IDs.

2. The expanded version, which also encompasses full transaction details along with the generated outputs.

A block can be requested as number, id and additionally the reserved words "best" and "finalized" reference the latest or epoch ending blocks.

const blockNumber = 12345678;

// get the block and transaction ids within it
const compressed = await thor.blocks.getBlockCompressed(blockNumber);
console.log(compressed);

// get the block and transaction data including receipts
const expanded = await thor.blocks.getBlockExpanded(blockNumber);
console.log(expanded);

Test it yourself:

Type definition and documentation of all attributes:

• Compressed Block Detail

• Expanded Block Detail

The same information is available using the JSON-API:

• https://mainnet.vechain.org/blocks/12345678

• https://mainnet.vechain.org/blocks/12345678?expanded=true

Special Blocks

There are specific keywords associated with special blocks:

• Genesis refers to the initial block (number 0) on a chain, serving to identify the available chain on a network.

• Best represents the most recent block, typically having a maximum age of 10 seconds, as a new block is added every 10 seconds.

• Final denotes the most recent finalized block, marking the end of an epoch. It is guaranteed that there will be no further re-ordering or changes. A checkpoint happens every 180 blocks and finalization of a checkpointed block occurs again after 180 blocks.