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 8972886 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 96624318 epoch_slot_no: 115518 block_no: 8972709 slot_leader_id: 4558590 size: 2948 time: 2023-07-01 05:50:09 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8f3e7821657be09d2baf730693cae635549ecff5eca305edd83c9ecbd97a1ec8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12ply07ya8jzhyqmpcystrm0f4rp853cymcsn33kpx7l9s6d822gq37n0fg op_cert: \xc44bcecb35a1fb9814ae9fe1bc4361c090f18ba4890d8b8ce3d45c857969ad91 op_cert_counter: 16