Attributes serve dual purposes: defining data types that block types can handle, and storing specific content for individual block instances. Every paragraph block shares the same attribute definition but contains unique values.
Block types define attributes in block.json with names, types, defaults, and storage methods. Block instances hold the actual values – like specific text content or alignment settings for that particular block.
Attributes can be stored in HTML markup (like paragraph content) or in block delimiters as JSON (like alignment). This flexibility accommodates different types of data and display requirements.