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 8973493 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 96636608 epoch_slot_no: 127808 block_no: 8973316 slot_leader_id: 4569197 size: 28627 time: 2023-07-01 09:14:59 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x64acc270d1955799db7ac877e86a4ee67aa15c05a195e749ed2c2dc3f0c478c5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fu2vy36f5je5nz9qex83agkxqcs29kfwdty63hdm0vgwdzm2hvpqea7zl7 op_cert: \xbc76d72bd73326717727dfd8fd004b5f54ed94192a12782545c4a5a3fcd56edd op_cert_counter: 13