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 8972272 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 96612334 epoch_slot_no: 103534 block_no: 8972095 slot_leader_id: 4576734 size: 54349 time: 2023-07-01 02:30:25 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x42a331a1841ec13f228128fdec3fdeb084490df6aaefe950b78970364cf5e64aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fn3agt7xmk39nath728znyshgtjkwzqmddawqvtffzaz7wxv07yqtr3usw op_cert: \xdf0398993a8f69509379ca810fc59df0f760ffd46fdab4da8989c716f36d6f48 op_cert_counter: 16