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 8973997 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 96647169 epoch_slot_no: 138369 block_no: 8973820 slot_leader_id: 7231972 size: 291 time: 2023-07-01 12:11:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf4988f084c60269bf8b3efc735ab349de278b743927a28f2de9fb3bdfa105884Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ugya7fr6k6ra87377qfs0mwpcee8taq4sgzl9rhrn62xat4y6wcslrc7jp op_cert: \x1cc97897c6be8e01c86790c122a61c4294cd16fe5a387ca0524c1cf10101b6af op_cert_counter: 1659975173