Homework on Stale Blocks

Blockchain and Bitcoin 101
#902
  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?

Will have two valid blocks competing with each other, the miner that has a longer block will be successfully, and the transactions of the other competing miner arent added to the blockchain it will go back to the Mempool.
2. What is a stale block?
A Stale Block is a authentic valid block the hasnt made it to the blockchain.

  1. How do stale blocks occur?
    The Stale Blocks transactions are returned to the Mempool.

  2. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
    This is because it maintains the blockchain integrity reducing risks of incorrect blocks, the number of blocks that will confirm the mined block is 6 blocks.

#903
  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time? If two miners are competing to solve a block at the same time, then the miner who solved the block fastest will get their block appended to the block chain. The loser will lose their block and return it back to the mempool.
  2. What is a stale block? A stale block is a block that did not get appended to the blockchain after 6 confirmations.
  3. How do stale blocks occur?
    A stale block is occurs when a miner loses to another miner by not appending their block before. As a result losing miner drops their block which is called a stale block.
  4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction? It allows the network to sync and validate TX. That is why there is a 10 minute wait time interval to make 6 confirmations in the blockchain.
#904
  1. Than one of the block will become stale, the one with most proof of work will win, and the stale one transactions will go back to mempool.
  2. Stale block is a block which were in the blockchain at one time, but than got dropped.
  3. When miners mine a block at the same time.
  4. To minimize an issue with stale blocks.
#905
  • What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
    The longest blockchain will continue and the other one will be stale (not be continued). Only one blockchain can continue.
  • What is a stale block?
    A block that is not accepted by the blockchain to continue.
  • How do stale blocks occur?
    When two miners at Exactly the same moment a block mined successfully.
  • Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
    At that moment you will know for sure that your block is confirmed by the network. To avoid situations like stale blocks.
#906

Hi roger, what have understand related to question1. The block will be created in the blockchain but after that only one block will be continued in the blockchain. So at that moment you get a stale block (it is there in the blockchain but not continued)

1 Like
#907

1., 2. & 3. Both blocks get accepted (but not confirmed) to the blockchain by the nodes that receive this version of the truth. Only one block(chain) will be confirmed at the end and that happens as soon as there are more blocks mined. The longest chain will always “win” and the shorter ones will become “stale” or deleted or unused blocks.
4. There is always the possibility of multiple versions of the last blocks in the blockchain. Waiting for multiple confirmations (best would be 6) makes sure that transactions are fully integrated, confirmed and accepted in the blockchain.

#908

1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
a. both blocks are propagated throughout the network, since both solved the cryptographic puzzle
2. What is a stale block?
a. A stale block is an orphaned block that has initially been accepted and propagated throughout the network, but was eventually dropped due to a competing blockchain with more POW
3. How do stale blocks occur?
a. Stale blocks occur, when several versions of truth exist on the blockchain
4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
a. The transaction might be part of a competing block or chain that might end up as an orphan. Transactions from orphaned blocks are then sent back to the mempool

#909

  1. The network will accept the block with the most proof of work, the other block will be rejected and all its tx. will go back to the mempool.

  2. A stale block is a dropped block.

  3. A stale block occures when a block is dropped or when blocks are created too fast.

  4. It is important to wait for 6 more blocks to come after your block so this way you are sure that your block doesn’t get dropped.

#910

What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
What is a stale block?
How do stale blocks occur?

Both blocks are accepted. Some nodes will confirm one block and others will confirm the other one. But the next blocks added will determine which of both will be the ‘good’ one based on the longest chain (it does not depend only in the length, but let’s say like that). Once it happens, the other block will be dropped.

Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
The block can be confirmed but then dropped since there are more blocks also accepted and eventually chosen as the longest chain. So that initial block was confirmed, but then dropped (stale block).

#911
  1. There will be two version of valid tblocks, some miner will mine based on 1 version and some based on other version, the version whit the longer chain in hash power will win and the other block chain version will be dropped.
  2. The dropped blocks :point_up_2:
  3. when two miners solve a block at the same time will be two version of valid blocks, the version whit the longer chain in hash power will win and the other block version will be dropped.
  4. To ensure that your transaction is not put in a stale block.
#912
  1. The nodes closest to each miner get different versions of the recently appended blockchain until the next block is mined. This makes the network has 2 split ends.
  2. Stale block is a block which was in the network than get drop.
  3. It occurs as a result of its chain was shorter than other. When stale block get drop, the list of transactions will return to the mempool.
  4. The block might get drop and the list of transactions inside the block could be return to the mempool.
#913

the blockchain forks to 2 options. Nodes will have 2 versions of the blockchain until another block is added to one of the blocks making the longest link and the other block becomes orphaned

Stale block is a block that has been “dropped”/ orphaned

Rules is waiting for 6 blocks to be confirmed to ensure the block of the transaction has not been orphaned/stale block.

#914
  1. For a period two different versions of the blockchain will be valid. In sequence the only the longer one will be supported.
  2. A stale block is block that was mined successfully but has been dropped because it was part of the shorter blockchain. Data returns to mempool.
  3. Stale Blocks occur after two miners have produced valid blocks before the entire updated blockchain had reached all nodes.
  4. In case a transaction becomes part of stale block it will not be part of the valid blockchain and thus be return to the mempool.
#915

1, 2 & 3: When two miners solve a block at the same time, two versions of the blockchain are created and propagate to their nearest nodes. For a while two versions of the trust will exist. If one block had a higher difficulty level (lower target) than the other than that block will be the one that is ultimately accepted by the network because there is a higher proof of work. Else, eventually a miner will append a new block to one of the chains and then this will become the version of truth. The block on the other chain is discarded and becomes an orphaned / stale block, transactions are returned to the mempool.

  1. It’s important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction in case the situation above occurs, your confirmation could be in a block that eventually gets discarded and becomes a stale block.
#916
  1. The block picked up in the longest chain wins and the other block is rejected (stale block) and the transactions in the stale block go back to the mempool.
  2. A stale block is the one that is rejected for another block solved at the same time being accepted due to it being part of a longer chain.
    3.A stale block gets rejected due to not being part of the longest chain.
  3. In case the transaction was in a stale block originally, it will be sent back to the mempool and needs to be included in a valid block. Waiting for about 6 confirmations helps ensure your transaction was picked up on the blockchain.
#917

Both blocks will be added to the blockchain but only be considered true by nodes who are closer in proximity to the miner that solved it.

A stale block is a block that has been dropped by the network, where the blockchain continues on with a different truth.

Stale blocks occur when two miners solve blocks at the same time and amend them to the blockchain, sending them to nodes that are closest to them in proximity. Eventually one of the blocks will be left behind or rejected as next block has been created using one of the above mentioned blocks as its previous hash and continues to build on that chain.

Waiting for 6 confirmations is recommended because it will make sure your tx has not been included in a stale or orphaned block.

#918

  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
    The block that generates the longest blockchain (after 6 confirmations) will be accepted the other will be dropped.

  2. What is a stale block?

  3. How do stale blocks occur?
    A block that was once in the blockchain but then got dropped, because the bockchain continued the path of the other block.

  4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
    To avoid the stale blocks.

#919

  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time? two version of the blockchain are created with different transactions in the last blocks

  2. What is a stale block? a valid block which has been removed

  3. How do stale blocks occur? in the moment when a new miner create a block and append it to one versione of the blockchain the second version will be shorter in terms of POW and therefore its last block will be removed

  4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction? best is to wait for 6 blocks, because it could happen that two blocks are created at the same time creating two version of the blockchain and resultin later in a stale block which is removed. If that is the block containing our transaction then it will be set back to the mempool and we should wait for a new block

#920

I see your point. I probably could have added after the miner who gets their block appended to the block chain and the block chain continues.

#921
  1. they are both accepted until one blockchain becomes longer than the other and the smaller chain is not adopted
  2. it is the block that was dropped after being confirmed by another version of the blockchain
  3. they occur when two miners mine a block at the same time and one block is dropped due to the other having a longer chain
  4. because your transaction could be in a block that has been dropped