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 8974490 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 96657830 epoch_slot_no: 149030 block_no: 8974313 slot_leader_id: 8526618 size: 7234 time: 2023-07-01 15:08:41 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xff77adbd5c883bdd5d887fe2b2f955ded6dee5a39df1d23773c8128f5d7bc401Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xkknefdcqjrgxjpltns9372x3wafyu4dqc6nkz50f7hyxe4ny9hsfhptzl op_cert: \x5413a53978e7d86bf2fc71418a3db62af774785ec97770bb0cce96df1a01012f op_cert_counter: 2