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 8971642 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 46 slot_no: 96599425 epoch_slot_no: 90625 block_no: 8971465 slot_leader_id: 8504141 size: 87621 time: 2023-06-30 22:55:16 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa8c5485e63f89be8d3e490ae065fe05c832053935c688acca5105036ed974f1bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1k83c3ne0u87376xk6k884n3pu3vcrvmtzt8ef54a0y7yjzq5xtlqjvxr7y op_cert: \x32847e9a3480613771948a228eb7b75634865c8a291032c64c6ed93afa54fc97 op_cert_counter: 1