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 8973677 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 96640489 epoch_slot_no: 131689 block_no: 8973500 slot_leader_id: 4558367 size: 85244 time: 2023-07-01 10:19:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x34740e5870f51e3dbd44a9352645bd9ba43cbc0f65fa5349c1c2bd65ea108d71Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nkf2z3s4sm00xtme6n7yxwdaye0dhwpz8zptyh22u9ex4pnugzmsulqnd6 op_cert: \x98742a8c7dc0c480511848ff809892b1b679f6f65927977322923286e107e7e1 op_cert_counter: 16