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 8973816 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 96643293 epoch_slot_no: 134493 block_no: 8973639 slot_leader_id: 5612834 size: 45942 time: 2023-07-01 11:06:24 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xae27c8bc9e2d136f1af75e627c5ae9bbeb27e39e87400770dc480062ccdecf1fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fk0z92nv4xzk02vyyl0afpm7l0mrnq0pl5m7hzzthln32an9zh9qzejcxa op_cert: \xa589d2f3d4363c8c83b41793a9d0d536099d39a3bdae12bf68559c53b3543525 op_cert_counter: 26