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 8973362 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 96634531 epoch_slot_no: 125731 block_no: 8973185 slot_leader_id: 7046986 size: 4778 time: 2023-07-01 08:40:22 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3912418e0978c938085e8211d098f2c37a044de303a527d767b83b573b1da6daBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk100wdp9xpc9dfjapzv2x9eqcmjtsws8xk5xr3q5wz89udvlvhqy6sak28wy op_cert: \xc5c377708bec71e0598126ab4f5c0c5cf1e7b24d459c1f321712928c14e8bbdd op_cert_counter: 1659973198