ethereumjs-block

What is ethereumjs-block?

The ethereumjs-block npm package is a library for creating, manipulating, and validating Ethereum blocks. It is part of the EthereumJS project, which provides a suite of libraries for working with the Ethereum protocol in JavaScript.

What are ethereumjs-block's main functionalities?

Creating a new block

This feature allows you to create a new Ethereum block instance. The code sample demonstrates how to import the Block class from the ethereumjs-block package and create a new block.

const Block = require('ethereumjs-block');
const block = new Block();
console.log(block);

Validating a block

This feature allows you to validate an Ethereum block. The code sample shows how to create a block and then validate it using the validate method.

const Block = require('ethereumjs-block');
const block = new Block();
block.validate((err, valid) => {
  if (err) {
    console.error('Block validation failed:', err);
  } else {
    console.log('Block is valid:', valid);
  }
});

Serializing a block

This feature allows you to serialize an Ethereum block into a Buffer. The code sample demonstrates how to create a block and then serialize it to a hexadecimal string.

const Block = require('ethereumjs-block');
const block = new Block();
const serializedBlock = block.serialize();
console.log(serializedBlock.toString('hex'));

Deserializing a block

This feature allows you to deserialize a serialized block back into a Block instance. The code sample shows how to take a serialized block in hexadecimal format and convert it back into a Block object.

const Block = require('ethereumjs-block');
const serializedBlock = '...'; // some serialized block data
const block = Block.fromRLPSerializedBlock(Buffer.from(serializedBlock, 'hex'));
console.log(block);

Other packages similar to ethereumjs-block

ethereumjs-tx

The ethereumjs-tx package is used for creating, manipulating, and signing Ethereum transactions. While ethereumjs-block focuses on blocks, ethereumjs-tx is specialized in handling transactions within those blocks.

web3

The web3 package is a comprehensive library for interacting with the Ethereum blockchain. It provides functionalities for working with blocks, transactions, smart contracts, and more. Compared to ethereumjs-block, web3 offers a broader range of features but may be more complex to use for block-specific operations.

ethers

The ethers package is another library for interacting with the Ethereum blockchain. It is known for its simplicity and ease of use. Like web3, it provides a wide range of functionalities, including working with blocks and transactions. It is a good alternative if you need a more user-friendly API.

README

SYNOPSIS

or #ethereumjs on freenode

Implements schema and functions related to Ethereum's block.

INSTALL

npm install ethereumjs-block

BROWSER

This module work with browserify.

API

./docs

TESTING

Tests in the tests directory are partly outdated and testing is primarily done by running the BlockchainTests from within the ethereumjs-vm repository.

Relevant test folders:

• bcTotalDifficultyTest
• TODO

LICENSE

MPL-2.0

Changelog

[2.1.0] - 2018-10-19

• Constantinople support, added difficulty bomb delay (EIP-1234), PR #54
• Updated test data, added Constantinople tests, PR #56, #57
• Added timestamp field to setGenesisParams(), PR #52