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 8971545 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 96597456 epoch_slot_no: 88656 block_no: 8971368 slot_leader_id: 8157918 size: 86815 time: 2023-06-30 22:22:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa14294cbf8f665d9fd35e00bff8fb3c5e8043dbac45017737da5a8c3bebb7f3fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kqeqcyhxkk6y9e3wsk95hfdnsw2pgj05rt06sr6emnh3w2dm9uns8ll28m op_cert: \xe4424ff9bbe3e073b2d138dd77a2998cf60c5669884112bc4029c1e0311a3615 op_cert_counter: 3