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 8972730 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 96621572 epoch_slot_no: 112772 block_no: 8972553 slot_leader_id: 4581221 size: 42320 time: 2023-07-01 05:04:23 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe1876edcca89382dddf61232229c9c25d1ff0617c8d3e4f9fc7c46dfec09656bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mqmks9nnl8er83vfpzcdfnw59azlsnmghwcv3umg2uh9g83u58uqnrtmn2 op_cert: \x9e5e15b5e0f199c4f4ceb7bd2968ac79e595e8ce6a4e7c588716dd9af2049ead op_cert_counter: 13