Working with Blocks

Understanding how to work with blocks is fundamental for Ethereum development. This guide covers essential concepts and practical implementations for block handling.

Core Concepts

• Block structure and properties
• Block retrieval methods
• Block monitoring and event handling
• Confirmation counting
• Block finality

Block Retrieval

The most common methods for retrieving block data are:

// Get latest block number
const blockNumber = await web3.eth.getBlockNumber();

// Get block by number
const block = await web3.eth.getBlock(blockNumber);

// Get block with full transaction details
const blockWithTx = await web3.eth.getBlock(blockNumber, true);

Best Practices

1. Always handle network delays and timeouts
2. Implement proper error handling
3. Consider block reorganizations
4. Cache block data when appropriate
5. Monitor gas prices and block space

See also

• eth_blockNumber - Get the latest block number
• eth_getBlockByNumber - Retrieve block information by number
• Block Confirmations Guide - Understanding transaction finality
• Syncing Strategies - Blockchain synchronization methods