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 8973142 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 96629497 epoch_slot_no: 120697 block_no: 8972965 slot_leader_id: 4556282 size: 45924 time: 2023-07-01 07:16:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7bb55e9e35ebb391177e2c60c264bc355ed1aafdc40417937023c54f6fd3e38dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lxm70e5gdamldz2gjdpcaw85e25vwr06qejhahlu05h3ach92fuqfxuj7h op_cert: \xcd286f746dfb82b419b3dc93c1c5582ea483ad577644402cee679ab56a3d8efe op_cert_counter: 18