Block
The basic unit of time on the Bittensor blockchain. A new block is produced approximately every 12 seconds, and each block can contain transactions and emit new TAO.
A block is a bundle of transactions that the blockchain processes and records permanently. Each block is linked to the one before it through a cryptographic hash, forming an unbreakable chain. Once a block is finalized, its contents cannot be altered.
Every block on Bittensor takes approximately 12 seconds to produce. This makes the block time a convenient unit for measuring durations in Bittensor (parameters like immunity periods, rate limits, and emission intervals are all defined in blocks rather than seconds or minutes).
BLOCKS PER DAY
At 12 seconds per block, the blockchain produces approximately 7,200 blocks per day.
Several things occur every block:
- New TAO is emitted and distributed across subnets based on their net TAO inflow EMA
- New ALPHA is emitted within each subnet
- Transactions submitted by users (staking , unstaking, registration, weight-setting, transfers) are processed
- The blockchain checks whether any subnet has reached its "tempo" interval, and if so, runs Yuma Consensus for that subnet and distributes emissions to its participants
Not every subnet distributes emissions every block. Each subnet has its own tempo (a configurable interval with the default of 360 blocks, approximately 72 minutes) that determines how often Yuma Consensus runs and accumulated emissions are distributed.