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 8973057 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 96627905 epoch_slot_no: 119105 block_no: 8972880 slot_leader_id: 7046460 size: 5373 time: 2023-07-01 06:49:56 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xecc44a8cf1c5d278fbf495bd39f981c839f901501e8563c076b6f5971be5df4eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gsld0lh0p44ntxnu2ac5vlr4dcdj7jq6ru259kp0duk0fu0095js7rcd9x op_cert: \x483d8d6f3ec98231c1c98069f9b6d8fbbcee1e627979e563a95431237a52730f op_cert_counter: 1659973422