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 8973259 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 41 slot_no: 96632177 epoch_slot_no: 123377 block_no: 8973082 slot_leader_id: 4555994 size: 72305 time: 2023-07-01 08:01:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xed7b9836ebd946c6bb4803415961ecd78dc20b7fc49f90c924c7d9340ccf08aaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sv5wq84j45knwywjp8ht98y42rt5s8gqe3v3c3qzadgjue9cqepsje98ar op_cert: \x528245312f6111e4e29a1e52b645b0932230c0c5b84c98b1e94021e4c2016bc3 op_cert_counter: 17