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 8972740 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 96621774 epoch_slot_no: 112974 block_no: 8972563 slot_leader_id: 4635124 size: 983 time: 2023-07-01 05:07:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1f2065cee1bdeabfe6b8ac8f8d173a775a5be2815acd2fded632459a9e181c5eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18wylyatfcj0nresevgkqq258r2qsjlc8fgq32p768wssvf4xynkql6cka0 op_cert: \x4e3e5997146ce0f2368459280f9cc79285267de50ea837ee23e4e916478402ef op_cert_counter: 18