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 8972049 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 96607681 epoch_slot_no: 98881 block_no: 8971872 slot_leader_id: 5507686 size: 51998 time: 2023-07-01 01:12:52 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdc00ebb1c5a586007c5ea735f36877943ada02c61ac020d5a66b63fcbe45a1aeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kzhq8xj03l7u669l3r67qplsz4ydh0quj0yphzrnumksqrtknp8sd2r470 op_cert: \x013de353711e403d4693be7997135506123976fd4153f99cb7672101a2a81c81 op_cert_counter: 9