Block height refers to the number of blocks preceding a particular block in a blockchain. It is essentially the length of the blockchain minus one, as the genesis block (the first block in the blockchain) has a height of zero. Each new block added to the blockchain increases the block height by one.
As of now, the block height of the Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain is over 700,000, with a new block being added approximately every 10 minutes, thereby increasing the block height by one.
Activation of features or changes to the blockchain usually occur at specific block heights. For instance, Bitcoin's block reward halvings happen at predetermined block heights approximately every four years. Similarly, when Bitcoin Cash (BCH) undergoes upgrades, the features are activated at predetermined block heights to ensure network synchronization.
In a broader sense, the block height can also refer to the total number of blocks confirmed on a blockchain.
* All terms and definitions may update as the Cryptionary improves.
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