Ommer block (Uncle block)

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An ommer block, also commonly referred to as an “uncle block,” is a concept primarily associated with blockchains like Ethereum. It represents a valid block that was successfully mined but not included in the main, longest chain. This situation typically arises when two or more miners solve the cryptographic puzzle required to create a new block at approximately the same time. Due to network latency, only one of these blocks can be officially appended to the main chain, while the others become ommer blocks.

Instead of being completely discarded, ommer blocks are still acknowledged by the network and provide certain benefits. Including references to ommer blocks in the main chain helps to increase the overall security and integrity of the blockchain by acknowledging the work done by miners who didn’t make it onto the primary chain. Furthermore, the miners of these ommer blocks often receive a smaller portion of the block reward. This incentivizes miners to continue participating even if their blocks aren’t always part of the main chain, contributing to a more robust and decentralized mining ecosystem. Ommer blocks thus help to reduce the “luck” factor in mining and improve network efficiency.

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