Question 1

What chain is this block on, and how does it relate to QRL 2.0?

Accepted Answer

This block lives on QRL, the original Quantum Resistant Ledger chain — a Proof-of-Work network launched in 2018 that pioneered post-quantum cryptography on a public blockchain using XMSS hash-based signatures. QRL 2.0 is its next-generation successor: an EVM-compatible Proof-of-Stake chain with newer post-quantum cryptography (ML-DSA-87, lattice-based) and full smart-contract support. The QRL community is transitioning from the original Proof-of-Work chain to QRL 2.0.

Question 2

How can I tell if this QRL block is settled?

Accepted Answer

This chain uses Proof-of-Work with cumulative-work resolution — there is no protocol-level finality the way QRL 2.0 has. The conventional rule of thumb is to wait 6-12 confirmations on top before treating a block as settled; after that, the cost of rewriting the cumulative hashing work becomes prohibitive. Use the Prev/Next buttons at the bottom to navigate forward and check how many blocks have accumulated on top of this one.

Question 3

What does 'Value moved' mean for this block?

Accepted Answer

It's the sum of native QRL transferred across every transaction in this block. Token transfers (created via QRL's native 'token' subtype) typically don't contribute to this number — they're accounted for in the token's own ledger, not at the chain level. The figure is reconstructed from the transaction list on this page rather than read from a header field.

Question 4

What is the block reward, and how is it paid out?

Accepted Answer

Every QRL block pays its miner a static block reward plus the sum of every transaction fee collected in the block. The static portion follows an exponential-decay emission curve (with a 60% reduction applied by the on-chain QIP-16 governance vote), so blocks mined in 2018 paid noticeably more than blocks mined today. Payment happens via the block's coinbase transaction, which Quantascan surfaces as the Miner address on this page.

Question 5

How does QRL difficulty work?

Accepted Answer

Difficulty is the target the miner had to beat under QRL's custom QRandomX Proof-of-Work algorithm: hash the block header repeatedly with different nonces until you find one producing a hash below the target. The protocol adjusts difficulty every block so the long-run average block time stays close to 60 seconds — higher difficulty means more hashing was needed, lower means less. The Mining Details panel on this page shows the target this specific block had to satisfy.

Question 6

What makes QRL quantum-resistant?

Accepted Answer

Every QRL transaction is signed with XMSS — the eXtended Merkle Signature Scheme — standardised by NIST in 2018 (SP 800-208). XMSS is a hash-based, one-time-signature scheme: it does not rely on the discrete-log problem that Shor's algorithm breaks on a quantum computer, so signatures remain unforgeable even against an attacker with quantum hardware. QRL 2.0 uses a different post-quantum scheme (ML-DSA-87, lattice-based) but the principle is the same: post-quantum security by default.

Question 7

Why is there no 'Burnt' fees or 'Withdrawals' card on this page?

Accepted Answer

Those are QRL 2.0 features that don't exist on the Proof-of-Work chain. Burnt fees come from EIP-1559, the base-fee market QRL 2.0 inherits from Ethereum — the PoW chain uses sender-set fees with no protocol burn. Withdrawals are EIP-4895 validator-reward payouts that only exist on a Proof-of-Stake chain — here, miners are paid in full via the coinbase transaction shown on this page. If you're looking for those cards, switch to a QRL 2.0 block.

Question 8

What's the difference between this block's height and its hash?

Accepted Answer

Height (the #N at the top) is the sequential block number — the block's position in the chain since genesis (height 0). Hash is the 32-byte cryptographic fingerprint of the block's full contents — change a single bit and the hash changes entirely. The More Details section below shows the full block hash and the parent hash that anchors this block to its predecessor.

Question 9

Will the contents of this block ever change?

Accepted Answer

No. Once a QRL block has accumulated enough confirmations its contents are effectively permanent — rewriting it would require redoing all the Proof-of-Work for every block on top, which is computationally infeasible. Combined with XMSS signatures (which remain unforgeable even against quantum attackers), the block's transactions and reward are anchored to the historical record forever.

Transaction ID	Method	From	To	Amount	Fee
f6c419…b4ce	Coinbase	Coinbase	Serene Steenbokma859Q01090…2bea	6.467820089 Quanta	0 shor
9e16d2…8733	Transfer	Wrinkly Collieu8287Q01060…8158	Gentle Mayflyzt826Q01050…b445	1.1999 Quanta	100,000 shor
00b912…5b1f	Transfer	Wrinkly Collieu8287Q01060…8158	Whirling Tuif6994Q01050…7f95	26.7999 Quanta	100,000 shor
4cdb0e…16c1	Transfer	Wrinkly Collieu8287Q01060…8158	Crackling Brachiosaurwq643Q01050…f519	0.9999 Quanta	100,000 shor
b2e920…2f91	Transfer	Wrinkly Collieu8287Q01060…8158	Elegant Appaloosadv652Q01050…ed5c	1.6999 Quanta	100,000 shor
9b3d3a…ba5f	Transfer	Wrinkly Collieu8287Q01060…8158	Little Sasquatchn4322Q01050…42db	13.5999 Quanta	100,000 shor
ce0104…eb29	Transfer	Wrinkly Collieu8287Q01060…8158	Peeking Dace4x989Q01050…b89d	0.9999 Quanta	100,000 shor
1d113e…a766	Transfer	Wrinkly Collieu8287Q01060…8158	Restful Caribouan326Q01050…ba4b	1.4999 Quanta	100,000 shor
050678…3dd4	Transfer	Wrinkly Collieu8287Q01060…8158	Paisley Cod4t262Q01050…e4a8	16.6999 Quanta	100,000 shor

QRL Block #173,404

FAQ about this block

QRL Block #173,404

#173,404

Transactions in this block (9)

Miner

Block at a glance

FAQ about this block

#173,404

Transactions in this block (9)

Miner

Block at a glance