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 8971209 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 96590617 epoch_slot_no: 81817 block_no: 8971032 slot_leader_id: 5352761 size: 60356 time: 2023-06-30 20:28:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x58210a9dfebad4709e7e383e6f66156290e036766f3101457ca2e424d0240dadBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f6za0myhypasnpld367u30wwz9eu5n242szqyq0m2j74nyuvuy8sgtyp39 op_cert: \xf23802744e7a0748160468e74b8117d0da12ce0a3b5b10deb9fc29950a71ac13 op_cert_counter: 12