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 8971493 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 45 slot_no: 96596580 epoch_slot_no: 87780 block_no: 8971316 slot_leader_id: 5080696 size: 75651 time: 2023-06-30 22:07:51 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9115a1410f06ab93d1d2ed0f6acc64d143d4baa0d252b9bc33165c83bbcc92e2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18s6zlh303m8q4cs2rh9mk2akd79jzufrngmjexmqryl4j5q88mjsmjtgke op_cert: \x89b13986cbcec3766e48e41c8fb09d3882cb04b2fe068a2bf3ed4f159ec15ec9 op_cert_counter: 11