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 8972716 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 96621283 epoch_slot_no: 112483 block_no: 8972539 slot_leader_id: 5046607 size: 49148 time: 2023-07-01 04:59:34 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x86d4fb5baefac26ffc7435a1e1738f51acd4b0d1c8780dadaca90853dd5d1be3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ngghyylmk529sf6unkf3v7qq2l9flr4yqpz99gnv25spm9xwyymsslfy77 op_cert: \x628556ca6bb53c572bbcbad548d9d73ec4387f6b96d41726c79b44021a489f61 op_cert_counter: 11