Block Commitment
The second Truestamp commitment event: finalized block hashes are batched into an epoch whose single Merkle root is recorded on a public blockchain (Stellar MEMO_HASH, Bitcoin OP_RETURN), moving each covered block from finalized to committed and adding an external timing witness.
Overview
Block Commitment is the second of Truestamp’s two commitment
events: the hashes of finalized Truestamp blocks are batched into an
epoch, one Merkle tree is built over those block hashes, and the
single epoch root is recorded on a public blockchain, as a Stellar transaction’s memo
hash (MEMO_HASH) or as Bitcoin OP_RETURN data. Each covered block receives a compact
inclusion proof tying its block_hash to the epoch root, and the block transitions from
finalized to committed on the first successful public-chain commitment. Because the
public chain’s record is timestamped by a network Truestamp does not control, Block
Commitment is what lets a proof be checked without trusting Truestamp; it complements
Item Commitment, which binds an individual item to a
block. The batching mechanics are covered in
the epoch and Block Commitment, and the two-event distinction in
Item Commitment vs Block Commitment.