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 8973426 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 96635716 epoch_slot_no: 126916 block_no: 8973249 slot_leader_id: 7376579 size: 40113 time: 2023-07-01 09:00:07 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x086f553392334306055fac598fd5d9f75423a40f7828d4c47097bed2ba4440d4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jrnkv44tm0xxpt63tflypqpfaja4e35zl6g249n9uk4pyp5nj8ast3rj04 op_cert: \x6051697bf9c01939b88076950982b76830fea710a54b15536d232971fe444597 op_cert_counter: 1659975401