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 8973978 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 38 slot_no: 96646710 epoch_slot_no: 137910 block_no: 8973801 slot_leader_id: 4555906 size: 86771 time: 2023-07-01 12:03:21 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2059c8fcd517a6b114a19e370f5922d02fce5b869eae7bad155cddffe00bdc81Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ll92u8xvg9ysl55f5gwm7jnz7cm45ynhraf2kyw97knn5muvch6q3jw7cm op_cert: \x1a3a3372b9d7463437853773e466ca8a99b5c68e9cda31297b9e9203ae8d974e op_cert_counter: 19