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 8972731 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 96621590 epoch_slot_no: 112790 block_no: 8972554 slot_leader_id: 5048909 size: 48839 time: 2023-07-01 05:04:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x46ae8e934fa2138551bc28d62f71fb7712a7a2de640fb617aba38ccd91ee0051Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hurwaadlhm7jaaerv8z3pj6d30x4w0pasrvh83nz2rflja8w5ftqnuycng op_cert: \x9865896c31d318da674c0644f2787074d3bf2575dbde12234faab8917676b6ff op_cert_counter: 10