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 8971603 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 96598734 epoch_slot_no: 89934 block_no: 8971426 slot_leader_id: 5386451 size: 57433 time: 2023-06-30 22:43:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3ab26bf766081e748d3455e646aac55961285dfc3a593d2f44fdba11d3630c9fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wmj580fj2xsw0pgvcsxz7x30hgladhhnvmv0a6j5cc2xkh2zc4esvq44ev op_cert: \x328662ae87a9a5d0df8d127d88bd9a5195e2e04d0c0f82124b11babec7089b41 op_cert_counter: 10