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 8971401 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 40 slot_no: 96594739 epoch_slot_no: 85939 block_no: 8971224 slot_leader_id: 8047028 size: 83297 time: 2023-06-30 21:37:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x867a7b614414c708bd67f8b317543ba9ca916a670a29a2af02005800e85c623eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fuuawa20d8f997fyj3twgr0ku0hegzzv64xwaug4pf99l8s2la7sw48nzq op_cert: \xb03e944b60d213ec7fe9e3c3d56291ccfe6670bc124c9285d3cafdd8a5464e99 op_cert_counter: 3