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 8972597 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 96618921 epoch_slot_no: 110121 block_no: 8972420 slot_leader_id: 4556416 size: 3405 time: 2023-07-01 04:20:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x54128d2cb3ba9a5ffa60bed2e19a689be01a06a0b7ca5879b0db27b7ed906f6aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17d54jy4dkx773tg6flm43qwj7v6ahf208wkats9ugt33mnvys7xqxpqc76 op_cert: \x79b1c8fc7a4711e76d2609e57d4c70ee5ce130455d51d2bd03b64459b35aecf1 op_cert_counter: 16