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 8971394 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 96594577 epoch_slot_no: 85777 block_no: 8971217 slot_leader_id: 4614591 size: 87546 time: 2023-06-30 21:34:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb3344b0bb46afe5ef229bdd1708fd074e47be2af7e86ba699b0ca11d01bcdacaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lnjfdgme34cun04rzmng683dq8u37wpu20ygrc0vz2fkun7jjmrsdaa3dx op_cert: \x113d4155cfd5c6132375dccdc55c632b373eb1f6411f76d76f429bd53e5b1af0 op_cert_counter: 21