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 8973879 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 96644615 epoch_slot_no: 135815 block_no: 8973702 slot_leader_id: 5266164 size: 50481 time: 2023-07-01 11:28:26 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa3c003e278e4bdce30bc6913527fd65bdce680d93097c61cfd28ae7d387bbb5aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qhaeh7mjhpt9flqh60d26uvn6gce76z5kunvdcdk6evxxpmuesrqchcvz5 op_cert: \xfc094faa5c346e4ad31d4164df90004dceca599c2d817408762a17fc834779e8 op_cert_counter: 138