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 8973398 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 57 slot_no: 96635214 epoch_slot_no: 126414 block_no: 8973221 slot_leader_id: 5533593 size: 88707 time: 2023-07-01 08:51:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbcaf539b3b4f13d98b40624160348fa601a64100ede98fbca14bb91cde43b8cbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10s4fgpaf0vx9aeg7sueh2n55nwlgdqag2ehxp3tmdaed8q7cf3zq76jlz2 op_cert: \x005baf4ab127922dc342258d3c4a6cb69836b27fc8f0d139b56a2da454e819a1 op_cert_counter: 9