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 8973697 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 96640926 epoch_slot_no: 132126 block_no: 8973520 slot_leader_id: 6006115 size: 20375 time: 2023-07-01 10:26:57 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcf2568a7b1b65eccc07175ccd454cb4c7e0e42cd7605419181abf22baf89467dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13cc570jdy8nfhf56jujfwe080gjdt08wusrfp3e20v8nnany4wpsdtr4jc op_cert: \x7a09ab594b986d5d0cc076709de1611d6b60814688916744c2b3d25297e0db08 op_cert_counter: 10