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 8973430 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 96635764 epoch_slot_no: 126964 block_no: 8973253 slot_leader_id: 4900604 size: 15079 time: 2023-07-01 09:00:55 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x741da0320d088bf2dab2565b8256df0cfcae63d820750df326420925b61429adBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1swhgqekh4mplz5dn87cqzm6t9hwrat9n4vreq4jw8g48dtsw8n5q7ky7xm op_cert: \x914dd4ab95a77233268b0e8c6fa0de5fcb98c661242bdbe3cb9352b10b9515d7 op_cert_counter: 21