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 8972073 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 34 slot_no: 96608299 epoch_slot_no: 99499 block_no: 8971896 slot_leader_id: 5492880 size: 77345 time: 2023-07-01 01:23:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x479ee0751972f8b8ff39b94880a68582a33b7ef86f7d6f981ba9ccd8b214c1c4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fr7hqvevhatry93cjyhwn2u8wg8e4my3tcmj6z9e60sszxxk2l8st646k2 op_cert: \x90f2cef439d63e35533a279f5f5f7c1ffcf1c063c1e44d79be34ba37cde72515 op_cert_counter: 12