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 8973388 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 96634988 epoch_slot_no: 126188 block_no: 8973211 slot_leader_id: 4662751 size: 57772 time: 2023-07-01 08:47:59 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x72bb034f712ef7123aedbe5a99f0ab9d2b74b708e36a9ae7fa15226e0ecbe59eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wytjcwdhdzscs33j6qzp9vtq4z9eg7s335x2r6n0mx6cskk9m76qkkk3j2 op_cert: \x2ee8fa91dba0d871e4c56e4c1599959305f2741fecd356c789f68fd5357a6185 op_cert_counter: 12