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 8972377 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 96614542 epoch_slot_no: 105742 block_no: 8972200 slot_leader_id: 4557937 size: 39502 time: 2023-07-01 03:07:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7e55a31d3b9c359c495d3672bfe60bf8be5c40c2548b64b6391026ea5bbc695bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z3qaj95vx6mhmzcj63c7f9v4am60fhlz55w5m26wk4nnl0tfc33q4s5h8m op_cert: \x652f4b99a101f39d54ef34c546759eae65477c4436250e2fa85fb591b71e456e op_cert_counter: 16