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 8973249 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 96631962 epoch_slot_no: 123162 block_no: 8973072 slot_leader_id: 5691324 size: 83127 time: 2023-07-01 07:57:33 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xca1e03703f2bbc4c466d0513678b1aadf0cd39a2c2d6f2a2532194e74015cf54Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1947ehph84w4wqftkapu402mu9jffla3vh7mvdm55a896mkg2kwcqrqgsuq op_cert: \x2e38842f419a44e43cdc7e4b1973447e474931900712ffe83ddc791773e4d04a op_cert_counter: 9