Block Height
The number of blocks between a given block and the very first one, used to pinpoint its position.
Block height counts how far a block sits from the genesis block, which is height zero. Block 800,000 means 800,000 blocks were added after the first. It works like a page number for the chain.
People use height to mark events precisely. Bitcoin's 2024 halving, for instance, triggered at block 840,000. Because heights only ever climb, they give a clean, tamper-proof timeline.
Related terms
A batch of transactions bundled together, time-stamped, and cryptographically linked to the block before it.
Genesis BlockThe first block of a blockchain, hardcoded at the start with no block before it to reference.
BlockchainA shared digital ledger that records transactions in linked batches, copied across many computers and hard to alter.
HalvingThe scheduled event that cuts the reward paid to bitcoin miners in half, tightening new supply.