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 8974031 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 40 slot_no: 96647977 epoch_slot_no: 139177 block_no: 8973854 slot_leader_id: 7418054 size: 56556 time: 2023-07-01 12:24:28 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x31a74118d2652d6d1aae979df7ecc0718e64f739197632304dc6d7c03a0bd04dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x30t254j83jpqh8ks5fqj4qsh0rgveuekedvxxh420qzduyum6wshfs63f op_cert: \xa83c3340e5edf1014b2d81eff834723e4deae9c54836dfecdbe511781a65a332 op_cert_counter: 7