Ender Chest

Ender Chests are blocks that can store items. Ender Chests function the same as normal chests, except that their contents are shared across all other Ender Chests placed anywhere, even in different dimensions.

Ender Chests do not drop their contents when broken. Items placed inside will remain present even if all Ender Chests are destroyed, and can be accessed from new Ender Chests. Ender Chests have half the blast resistance as obsidian, making them still immune to explosions. They also emit light and a particle effect similar to that of an Enderman and Nether Portal. In SMP, Ender Chests have a separate inventory for each player. Destroying one will only drop 8 obsidian (unless broken using a pickaxe enchanted with Silk Touch), meaning another Eye of Ender would be required to be crafted again.

Ender Chests cannot be made into double chests and thus can be placed adjacent to each other normally.

Usage

 * Since items are persistent even when all Ender Chests are broken, the player can use them to recover items from anywhere safely, even if they destroy the chest.
 * Ender Chests can be very useful in Survival or Hardcore if the player is able to obtain the resources required to make one. At the cost of one inventory slot for the chest, the player gains another 27 extra slots, for a net gain of 26, adding up to a total inventory space of 62 different stacks you can carry.
 * Alternatively, they can be used for bulk supplies. This allows you to have your stockpiles of rare items (diamond and emerald blocks, Blaze Rods and other brewing supplies, etc.) available at every major base.  Not to mention stacks of iron and gold blocks, and other sundries.  Note that a stack each of flint and feathers costs 2 slots, but with just 8 logs, they will make 4 stacks of arrows.  Similarly, including eggs, saplings, various seeds, and even building supplies, will make it much easier to start up new bases.
 * They can be placed at each station of a railway -- toss in a minecart, and you'll always have a minecart handy. (Optionally, Powered and Storage minecarts as well.)
 * If placed in a new cave or mine, they can safely stash ores or valuables as those are acquired.
 * Broken Ender Chests drop 8 obsidian, losing the Eye of Ender. There are 3 methods to continue using chests.
 * Bring a Silk Touch pickaxe when mining (or stash one in the chest), and break the chest with it. This will drop the broken ender chest as an item.
 * If you bring multiple Ender Chests, you can place and break each of them, and if you bring 8 or fewer, inventory space is not wasted, as one inventory slot will be 64 or fewer obsidian.
 * Place some Eyes of Ender and a crafting table in the Ender Chest. This will allow you to easily retrieve those items before breaking it and crafting another Ender Chest.
 * Similar to obsidian and chests, Ender Chests cannot be moved by pistons.
 * Ender chests work between dimensions. This can be useful for carrying large inventories or valuables to or from the Nether or the End.
 * In SMP Ender Chests can be used as banks or "safe deposit boxes". Placed in towns and bases, they'll allow players to get at their stuff without risk of theft, "mugging", or griefing.
 * An empty Ender Chest can be a useful last resort if you get hopelessly trapped or lost while exploring. Place the chest, load your inventory into it, then kill yourself. Assuming you have another Chest at home, this method will let you salvage most or all of your stuff.

Trivia

 * Despite being made out of obsidian, Ender Chests can be broken with any kind of pickaxe, just like an enchantment table.
 * The Ender Dragon can destroy the Ender Chest, despite its building materials.
 * Despite being made of Obsidian, actual Obsidian has twice the blast resistance.
 * Ender Chests do not interact with Hoppers, presumably because in multiplayer the impersonal hopper would be confused by the chest's player-specific inventories.