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 8973874 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 96644530 epoch_slot_no: 135730 block_no: 8973697 slot_leader_id: 6985545 size: 49809 time: 2023-07-01 11:27:01 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x220ae7204d2e5f9b6d2d05a770f0010de7676492d9b4c2ee52648e088c29292dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1g74q9ncxvv25y0xqmh9uv9scgrp4ky6z9a545ynka6lnhhgxwapsg2guga op_cert: \x6dce91972fdb81a986f43c5c96cf703c455cb25ccaef8c1b623d63aed4ad6be2 op_cert_counter: 6