Private Blockchain - Mining Process - What is being mined?

Question

I created a simple private blockchain using one single step:

geth --dev

I read that it would automatically generate the genesis block.

On another console window, I created an account and started

miner.start()

When I checked my account balance

 eth.accounts[0].ballance

 web3.fromWei(web3.eth.getBalance(web3.eth.accounts[0]),"ether");

the terminal returned

 1020

I started the miner.start() again and when checking my balance it showed to me

1180

What is really being mined since I have no transactions, only my account creation and the genesis block?

How could I check the blocks on the blockchain?

Answer 1

In Ethereum network mining happens in a periodical interaval and block created based on the minning work and Rewarded Ether for the miner in your case accounts[0].

• Mining does not depends on number of transaction.
• Mining does not wait for a transaction to be happenned. It is a periodical process
• Mining happens with or without transactions.

For checking block info:

> eth.syncing
{
  currentBlock: 745600,
  highestBlock: 889152,
  startingBlock: 745553
}