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 8973018 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 96627174 epoch_slot_no: 118374 block_no: 8972841 slot_leader_id: 4560105 size: 86794 time: 2023-07-01 06:37:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4195b1483d5d3240619a9b0d0a1c062d0e77054f933f2339f5f57f413fb2019fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gxp8x97dg35jcw5y3n0xhfjm0w06lhu9qja77pej40hhl3a246msxfe0j3 op_cert: \xab192b7a7c0a0940478fed9e401cc11d3e49030d835e18283d44f3224685d353 op_cert_counter: 16