GlossaryAdvanced
Merkle Proof
A compact proof that a specific piece of data is included in a larger Merkle tree, without needing the full tree.
A Merkle proof is a compact set of data that lets someone verify a specific transaction is included in a block's Merkle tree, without needing to download or process every other transaction in that block.
This lets light clients efficiently verify specific transaction inclusion using far less data than a full node would need to process.
Examples
- A light client can use a Merkle proof to verify a transaction's inclusion without downloading the entire block.
- Merkle proofs make verifying a specific piece of data efficient, without needing the complete data set.