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 8971430 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 28 slot_no: 96595262 epoch_slot_no: 86462 block_no: 8971253 slot_leader_id: 5352761 size: 86960 time: 2023-06-30 21:45:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x36f76f8b80590d34755a2f1ce4201c10ec82a46eea22bfc2c6eb06dfb8a1a85fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f6za0myhypasnpld367u30wwz9eu5n242szqyq0m2j74nyuvuy8sgtyp39 op_cert: \xf23802744e7a0748160468e74b8117d0da12ce0a3b5b10deb9fc29950a71ac13 op_cert_counter: 12