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 8973431 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 96635784 epoch_slot_no: 126984 block_no: 8973254 slot_leader_id: 4556309 size: 49744 time: 2023-07-01 09:01:15 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x46d7e8c7a574bb56c1efeeef06fa0665c96b3ea959da8d067e45c3c724d66d89Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d64n6vnj4en52mhn29vux22pjvwfn4fwaktv92xpk7n8gq8qwzyqvern57 op_cert: \x89a9a8423e30d01e60aa8863bd75cc0f0acc3f2fe37d2fd76ae7802eae35110a op_cert_counter: 13