Orphaned Block (Orphan)
| An orphaned block, also known as an orphan block, is a valid block that is not a part of the central blockchain and has no parent block. Orphaned blocks can occur for a number of reasons, but the most common is when two miners produce blocks at nearly the same time, and one block ends up being orphaned as a result. Orphaned blocks are often caused by network latency, which can cause a block to be broadcast to some nodes before its parent block. If the majority of miners are working on the longer chain, the orphaned block will eventually be discarded by the network. However, if the minority chain becomes the longest, it will be orphaned instead. Orphaned blocks can also occur if a miner creates a valid block but it is not added to the blockchain due to a software bug or an attack. Orphaned blocks are not inherently bad for the network, but they can create some challenges. For example, if a transaction is included in an orphaned block, it will not be confirmed until the block is added to the blockchain. This can cause delays for users waiting for their transaction to be confirmed. In some cases, an orphaned block can create a fork in the blockchain. This happens when two miners produce blocks at the same time and each block references a different parent block. As a result, there are now two valid, but separate, chains. This can cause confusion for users and can make it difficult to determine which chain is the correct one. Orphaned blocks are a natural part of the mining process and are not cause for concern. However, if you are waiting for a transaction to be confirmed, you may want to check if the block it is in has been orphaned. |
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