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 8972057 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 96607940 epoch_slot_no: 99140 block_no: 8971880 slot_leader_id: 4656960 size: 40108 time: 2023-07-01 01:17:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x55616ebbc9f56f2fa0614bf1f4376477d8c7d6d61f316ca5abb68c13e46e217eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uqxkdhj6c6mqyfth4fqjfqkzt4y6z8surd5v9zsys29swshnnmrqm0s70g op_cert: \xe4f5167052942fe88af49fe01d9d770aadeb45b19c04f8964263283f7c6a5667 op_cert_counter: 11