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 8973221 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 29 slot_no: 96631243 epoch_slot_no: 122443 block_no: 8973044 slot_leader_id: 4582306 size: 85310 time: 2023-07-01 07:45:34 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7784511d50701585bc8838c6154d9a04eab5fd56f6297034494f97ae725afff1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vfz253gr7kdcyvhsd820cecmpqrvtvm0x5nutp8sferryh9zkvwswym3qe op_cert: \x2d855d860fa50cbf5261d6c5e166a61e1218b35c6de53c02e8ee938ee1ea14a1 op_cert_counter: 20