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 8974050 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 96648203 epoch_slot_no: 139403 block_no: 8973873 slot_leader_id: 8437199 size: 42490 time: 2023-07-01 12:28:14 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8ccbd9464d3f3f789a8ec5b3e57710ab854f0a58fd844658ac8aea872f87ddedBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1eqt3fuxapwkn3rvdxqwvmce8vag7kzhk4nwgzrucjzll6ycsl38ssxxfek op_cert: \x65e5a8142b98fb9db0ae469d5c3ba578b56ad5e169b0508d88b7c6f977aa1a4e op_cert_counter: 2