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 8974057 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 29 slot_no: 96648349 epoch_slot_no: 139549 block_no: 8973880 slot_leader_id: 5688934 size: 88904 time: 2023-07-01 12:30:40 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdc380d10b9dd61b124444678a35eea608e767b5eaf5a314736ea0928b3c4fcbdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wmq8z85vez0fthhtemge0wcxwl2tg8763gqqyu9j0zsz5dtfx07skth6zn op_cert: \x36fbf70b96a55f9d8f756f2530fb0a8bba5ab32fd836ea980d35bb18848f5b57 op_cert_counter: 10