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 8971437 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 96595360 epoch_slot_no: 86560 block_no: 8971260 slot_leader_id: 5227010 size: 83859 time: 2023-06-30 21:47:31 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcd899c1da3334beb735fd01981b2fc5a7cdc6c24d08406a4bc49b288f25b59eeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jag99e3lxegu5qfhgqtv6efagjx7tkjarr6wg90vygjzpyle7s3sldkljh op_cert: \x3f883d747aa08c1cb497cb47d0d41ca478d2e9158993444bc34bc2b23346aef3 op_cert_counter: 16