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 8973538 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 96637513 epoch_slot_no: 128713 block_no: 8973361 slot_leader_id: 4679252 size: 67265 time: 2023-07-01 09:30:04 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0357a0a415d7d4b81c6361cee058aa8df57decc4c0dce571a569cf86519c0846Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u3rp29td29q0txep3j7vvnk3jhpr7rwu8kqwfa34g8ukpqhgppcs8727xq op_cert: \x759e7f1eb7edfc308fe739739ab8d9a405e6c6f233eb4228008071eb76c73b68 op_cert_counter: 14