Content of a Block in Ethereum 2.0
Blocks in Ethereum 2.0 are created on the so-called beacon chain. They have two major parts:
- Consensus layer
- Execution layer
The consensus layer is there for choosing the next block proposer, collecting attestations by validators, and managing staking deposits and staking exits (withdrawals). The consensus layer deals with “who does what” in the network.
The execution layer contains data about transactions and gas fees. The data in this part are processed by the MEV. The execution layer deals with “what is done” on the blockchain.
Before the Merge in 2021, the execution part and the consensus part were to distinct data structures. Since then, the execution payload is part of the beacon chain.