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 8973314 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 96633486 epoch_slot_no: 124686 block_no: 8973137 slot_leader_id: 4614290 size: 34815 time: 2023-07-01 08:22:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x63a24ffeb1f68bf3f00a319e6df528d1a5c9d59d4b8c4e67f34a765169a838cbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1maculfw24mfcn6dfzrl4rywxalwgayqknrqzyx9lcaxhml92pj6sra9lu5 op_cert: \xc02c2c2dbf7caeba187295c47458b0211f2e876f7ede44273e427dc2769c060b op_cert_counter: 15