Ethereum: Is there a public message on Blockchain.info embedded in the actual blockchain?
When it comes to interacting with Ethereum, one of the most convenient features is the ability to add a public message to each transaction. This feature allows users to share additional information about their transactions, such as: B. Details of the assets sent or received. However, many people wonder if this public message is built into the blockchain itself.
To understand the answer to this question, let’s dive deeper into how Ethereum works and see how messages are processed within the blockchain.
How Ethereum Works
The Ethereum blockchain is a decentralized, distributed ledger that records all transactions across the entire network. It consists of blocks containing a list of transactions called a “block.” Each block has its own unique identifier (also called a “hash”) and is linked to previous blocks through a process called “merging.”
Public Messages: An Important Feature
An important feature of Ethereum that allows users to share additional information about their transactions is the ability to add public messages. These messages can be up to 1024 characters long and are added to each block as a “transaction hash.” The message itself is not subject to any specific restrictions on length or content.
Is the public message embedded?
The question of whether the public message embedded in the Ethereum blockchain is actually embedded and not just added has sparked a debate among developers and users. To understand this better, let’s look at how messages are formatted within a block:
“solidity
{
“transactionHash”: sha256(
“0x…Transaction Hash…”, // The hash of the transaction itself.
“blockNumber”, // The number of the block being mined.
“gasLimit”, // The gas limit specified in the transaction request.
“value”, // The value sent in this transaction, expressed as a hexadecimal number.
“nonce”, // A random integer used to prevent re-election attacks
),
“blockHash”: sha256(
“0x…Block Hash…”, // The hash of the block itself.
“timestamp”, // The timestamp at which the block was mined.
“gasPrice”, // The gas price for this transaction.
“nonce”, // A random integer used to prevent re-election attacks
),
“transactionCount”: 1,
“txHash”: sha256(
“0x…Transaction hash…”,
“block number”,
“timestamp”,
“gas price”,
“meanwhile”
)
}
“
It is clear from this output thattransactionHash` contains not only the transaction hash, but also additional information such as the block number and timestamp. These include the gas price and nonce values.
Conclusion
While some argue that the public message itself has no direct, embedded location within the blockchain (as it would be added to every block), others claim that it is actually “embedded” in the sense that its content is part of the transaction information structure. The content of the message can vary greatly and is typically not hardcoded into the blockchain, but inserted as a field that can only be added.
The actual implementation may depend on how messages are formatted within blocks. In principle, however, any additional information provided to users through this function should be considered incorporated into the block structure in some form.