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Author Topic: Block disappeared - wtf?  (Read 1354 times)
JPage (OP)
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August 16, 2016, 05:34:04 PM
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I have a blockchain scanner that queries the blockchain every 30 seconds to see if a new block has arrived.  My scanner detected a new block and scanned it.  Then the block was no longer there.  Poof - as if it never occurred.

The funny thing is, at the very same time I had blockchain.info open at the homepage.  When new blocks arrive, it says under the 'Age' column: '< 1 Min".  Block 425491 arrived, was indicated on Blockchain.info, and my scanner which is unrelated to blockchain.info and their API, - but a bit later (about 2 seconds) blockchain.info reverted to block 425290 and somehow 425291 no longer existed. 

Not a crisis - but I do wonder what caused a block to momentarily be recorded and then quickly be erased like it never happened.  My scanner didn't save a copy - but I might write a code to capture those just for the hell of it.

Anyone? 
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unamis76
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August 16, 2016, 05:36:47 PM
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Maybe you caught a fork?
JPage (OP)
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August 16, 2016, 05:57:10 PM
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Yeah, just got a little bit weirder...

Here is a screenshot of a missing block on Blockchain.info.  


I know blockchain.info is full of bugs and all that, but my independent scanner also suffered a hiccup at the same time and had trouble with this disappearing block.  This time, the kink in the system might actually be on chain rather than at Blockchain.info

JPage (OP)
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August 16, 2016, 06:03:34 PM
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Now, two blocks disappeared!  Look at the 'Age' of block 425490.

JPage (OP)
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August 16, 2016, 06:06:14 PM
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Now the blockchain looks like it is up to blockheight 425494, but 3 blocks look missing in the Blockchain.info webpage. 

cr1776
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August 16, 2016, 06:06:58 PM
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Everything looks okay at other explorers, e.g.

http://blockr.io
JPage (OP)
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August 16, 2016, 06:11:10 PM
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Everything looks okay at other explorers, e.g.

http://blockr.io

Yeah.  Everything seems fine everywhere now.  Not sure what was going on.  It freaked me out a little that I saw it on two independent systems simultaneously.  That was weird. 
unamis76
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August 17, 2016, 12:56:59 AM
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Still think you and blockchain caught some kind of fork. Anyways, blockchain craps out a bit easily, so... yeah.
achow101
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August 17, 2016, 01:17:20 AM
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What node does your blockchain scanner query? What software is that node?

There are a few things that I think could have happened here. You may have somehow caught a fork. The block that you saw disappear could have been part of a fork that was subsequently invalidated by a longer chain. Or it is possible that you received an invalid block. Since blocks are sent headers first, it is possible that the header was good, but something in the block was wrong, so when it was validating the block, it failed and removed the block. But because it received the header first, it originally added it to the blockchain before removing it.

amaclin
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August 17, 2016, 08:14:09 PM
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The block that you saw disappear could have been part of a fork that was subsequently invalidated by a longer chain.
There were no orphan blocks on the network that time according to my info.
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