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 8973993 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 96647074 epoch_slot_no: 138274 block_no: 8973816 slot_leader_id: 4989634 size: 87316 time: 2023-07-01 12:09:25 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x523185d7dc7469e392cd6ced401d770e3b35186e09038e492233d7dc89f07875Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17xppz4t8889f4eqt0cazyrexrfan7za4t5pfeu4hx89xaadvj0jqej033d op_cert: \x67cd39a56745cfc1f5487e34b4315d55696c92bdffb375854b69e567e5449323 op_cert_counter: 13