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 8973901 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 50 slot_no: 96645156 epoch_slot_no: 136356 block_no: 8973724 slot_leader_id: 5555137 size: 88824 time: 2023-07-01 11:37:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x55b48f607a60122b7ba2c887bea150da9b167d5717ab03bd73db55b17d7c2b3cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x4gcag7r4n0pld5qdd38etqqsmfsjp5sehughrrg7ew7kesd67zs9va90y op_cert: \xa434b93bc679054a9e325c2d752e12c492fde59d14a2f2ea1809f3542b240a35 op_cert_counter: 9