Block header - novacoin-project/novacoin GitHub Wiki
The block header is a metadata structure which is used to link blocks in the blockchain.
Block header has a size of 80 bytes and consists of 6 fields:
Field | Type | sizeof | Description | Updated when |
---|---|---|---|---|
nVersion | unsigned int | 4 | Block header version | You upgrade the software and it specifies a new version |
hashPrevBlock | unsigned char[] | 32 | Previous block header hash, used to link block headers into list | New block is accepted |
hashMerkleRoot | unsigned char[] | 32 | Merkle tree hash, used to link block header and block contents | Transactions pool is updated |
nTime | unsigned int | 4 | Unix timestamp | Every few seconds for proof-of-work, every successful attempt for proof-of-stake |
nBits | unsigned int | 4 | Compact representation of claimed proof difficulty | The difficulty is adjusted |
nNonce | unsigned int | 4 | Attempts counter for [proof-of-work]] ](/novacoin-project/novacoin/wiki/New-proof-of-work-hash-tried,-or-never-with-[[proof-of-stake) |
Each block header is required to satisfy the claimed proof.