A metric that is used to identify the number of sequentially added blocks in the blockchain between any given block and the genesis block. In cryptocurrency, block height represents the number of blocks that have been confirmed for a particular blockchain network since inception. This is a number of increasing characters that reflects the expansion of the chain. It refers to the current block number on a blockchain, which defines the position in the chain of a confirmed block that is part of a blockchain.

Each block on the blockchain is assigned a height value, to denote the number of blocks before a specific block on the blockchain. The first block, known as the genesis block, does not have any blocks preceding it and as such is assigned a block value of zero. Given that new blocks are always added at the end of the chain, the process involves organizing the blocks in a sequential order, so that each block contains transaction data as requested and provided on the blockchain.

Block height can be used as an identifier for each of referencing and searching for a specific part of the blockchain. This identified also helps determine the rate at which additional blocks are being added to the chain.

In certain cases, though rarely, the cryptographic puzzle tied to the block may be solved at the same time by more than one party. As a result, at least two blocks may end up having the same block height, or the development of the so-called fork in the chain. A fork is a split in a blockchain that leads to two individual blockchains. For that reason, one of the blocks will be orphaned (to the other) to prevent duplication of blocks on the blockchain. The so-called block explorers operate to provide information about block height, being an essential piece of information in the search for a specific block via a block explorer.

The block height is always vital for the seamless operation and security of the blockchain.