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 8973496 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 96636681 epoch_slot_no: 127881 block_no: 8973319 slot_leader_id: 4557674 size: 13496 time: 2023-07-01 09:16:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x80dbea10d871ff4822eeeabf41d8d467beb7bf8d9e7d382470fcdb9b8c0b09bfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1da3263cgw8qypes8yhd3uj34p6n4yf9wqaa5nlf2gwura3jpeumsyaeppa op_cert: \xe74461ae4cff59f8cf448598342858fe45cfed090754ea32c877442666a7b93b op_cert_counter: 17