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 8973669 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 32 slot_no: 96640243 epoch_slot_no: 131443 block_no: 8973492 slot_leader_id: 5493217 size: 59722 time: 2023-07-01 10:15:34 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb07486213d2941ead6f17e0d28b5f37b4b4c381475afa45cc827a83ea6ced088Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cakf4klps5d980wm8657zsmnen8rcwvka0nn3ug0eg0fj2ym4chqvn04ed op_cert: \xb740d7a0e9cf959a427347fb1f5ef27cd2b523e8a4171b5e03e260074fbcb91f op_cert_counter: 9