did anyone see that strange timestamp on block 915130? says it was mined 0 seconds ago or even in the future... weird right?
Future Timestamp on Block 915130?
6 replies 336 views
matrix2021Full Member
Posts: 92 · Reputation: 612
#2May 6, 2018, 07:22 AM
timestamps come from miners, so they can be in the past or future. as long as it's greater than the median of the last 11 blocks and less than 2 hours ahead when a node gets it, it's all good. some variability is totally normal.
appreciate the info! I never noticed that before. I thought timestamps had to be fixed.
AtomicLordMember
Posts: 34 · Reputation: 184
#4May 6, 2018, 01:16 PM
with a decentralized setup, it's tough to enforce exact timestamps. once you accept some variability, you gotta figure out what's acceptable. if 1 second is cool, why not 2? or 3? it all depends on what you want the timestamp for.
but don’t they have timestamps? every transaction has an nLockTime field, which lets it be confirmed after a certain block or time. sure, users can mess with it, but still, there’s a sort of time involved.
you can't really call it a timestamp though. dictionary definition says it's the 'time of occurrence,' and for transactions, you gotta guess based on unreliable info. like when your node first saw it or when it got mined.
this clears things up. thanks!
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