Ethereum 2.0 Blocks - Beacon Chain Explorer

Ethereum 2.0 will merge with the Ethereum mainnet in the second half of 2022, changing the face of the Ethereum blockchain. The most basic components of the new Ethereum network are epochs and slots. The epoch in Ethereum is defined as the time frames used to validate transactions, and each epoch contains 32 slots.

The Ethereum 2.0 slot is the 12-second time frame by which an Ethereum block must be proposed by a validator and approved by other members of the committee.

The Ethereum block explorer shows the details of the epoch and slots, which get updated every 12 seconds. There are over 90,000 epochs on the Ethereum 2.0 block explorer, and the Ethereum block number is over 280,000.

The planned structure of the proposed upgraded Ethereum blockchain is poised to have 64 shards, each with their own blocks. Each slot represents the opportunity for the Shard validator to include a block and earn rewards. Apart from the shard block, the Ethereum blockchain structure will also have one Beacon Chain block for each shard.

Each Ethereum block number will require 12 validators before it is validated, and the gap between the last finalized Ethereum block and the latest finalized Ethereum block has been set at two. The blocks for the beacon chain do not affect the current Ethereum network.

As the upgrade is going on, you should not expect any ETH 2.0-induced network outage. The merger with the mainnet is expected to be completed by Q2 2022.