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 8973246 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 96631917 epoch_slot_no: 123117 block_no: 8973069 slot_leader_id: 5812343 size: 87074 time: 2023-07-01 07:56:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x42dc8235246001831dab25a59f8755d140379cf92f8117e1de5ee52caca5b997Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13efc4umlv6xpqrcpaaxqrt5hstqh620jgwusje55jvgskey953lqy58cx3 op_cert: \x2c2f522a544d37164f8ff00f1d6828b596fd6271e16507993a95f32a876e9a2c op_cert_counter: 8