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 8973768 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 96642237 epoch_slot_no: 133437 block_no: 8973591 slot_leader_id: 5534421 size: 55871 time: 2023-07-01 10:48:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd9774ce674e64c9a5580a09f1cba4e1b9caaf430eaa5f88dd20b5ceb6c866fa5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qmtf9mqrxwt34pl7ss8v4zhh2vf7hqyn43q8wjlwn92lw3lv73yqxqkr4q op_cert: \xac198f0d26bc089c99be70ec934bf16bab0f4131224552a147c917b8bff72c12 op_cert_counter: 13