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 8971488 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 96596496 epoch_slot_no: 87696 block_no: 8971311 slot_leader_id: 4962621 size: 84703 time: 2023-06-30 22:06:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5298002dfc6ee6e7e692bc43de86b7fec99e69eebf675cce1e63956d4fd75a44Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qs40s2r4qhygpq8va07ntwrpptd7ak6vnpskmqqctdz5d5z9y6ysv6ext5 op_cert: \xa742547a17d44d9dd6af8a605f08ba9da875c7f314d6bc003da326c1892069fc op_cert_counter: 10