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 8971663 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 96599803 epoch_slot_no: 91003 block_no: 8971486 slot_leader_id: 8968645 size: 24920 time: 2023-06-30 23:01:34 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb031f137610836fb2eedb27b554bb08a953a36fc17281f3a3cae592954f3f082Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uztwujp95p5mvkd3sum4wfnd2qgxdtu3c80khume9c09xmmem9lqzd2u88 op_cert: \x904d1d9a2fa735dfd13ea0bab165fbc4a4575dba515c4b01cc7e32df0bbfcd99 op_cert_counter: 1