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 8973255 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 96632071 epoch_slot_no: 123271 block_no: 8973078 slot_leader_id: 5053834 size: 37216 time: 2023-07-01 07:59:22 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x05d68ccf5d06fdef006c40a2f415d0f6b357ac666729d86be3b5c32fa92f1c25Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ynv3nggu0wcaghs8rcp9vtklh4e943783fcz7ts47c27lup49yaqhh4kkn op_cert: \x761f8cc3bc48f3041e4df1fb70aa5d799f28ff95d0f1d42453147e6a291b61b7 op_cert_counter: 9