A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 8968262 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 96529579 epoch_slot_no: 20779 block_no: 8968085 slot_leader_id: 4869078 size: 50182 time: 2023-06-30 03:31:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9ed447bbad3f96d7731ddf61eaa60fe2497b279776e16419b2069dc021fda64dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wtrryjjkch77gg8lpueyy3lqltdehrt3d56kgvtvtsculnexcvks44hjm9 op_cert: \xffb03d75a7e4e8932c8c8fd7bc559e3ad11d9146d2f9b447706c41e387db6c76 op_cert_counter: 14