Timestamp
A recorded time marker proving when a block or transaction entered the blockchain's history.
A timestamp records when something happened on a blockchain. Each Bitcoin block header includes one, set by the miner, that helps the network order blocks and adjust mining difficulty over time. The value isn't perfectly precise; nodes accept it within a tolerance range.
Timestamps matter because order is everything in a ledger. Knowing that block A came before block B is what prevents double-spending. Solana's proof of history pushes this idea further, building a verifiable timeline directly into consensus so validators agree on sequence without checking a shared clock.
Related terms
Solana's method of stamping a verifiable time order onto events before they reach consensus.
BlockA batch of transactions bundled together, time-stamped, and cryptographically linked to the block before it.
Double SpendSpending the same crypto twice by getting two conflicting transactions accepted, the core problem blockchains were built to stop.