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 8974501 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 40 slot_no: 96658137 epoch_slot_no: 149337 block_no: 8974324 slot_leader_id: 5023687 size: 88764 time: 2023-07-01 15:13:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf5ca2c5013b1944d8aabb5c15a3bed4d8d692b8247dd260e05c3df2f5f88545bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mw77p4742utx67t652qra5z2sj6mcrc23l9r9600hajl0zd29zaqxf6g3t op_cert: \xc1b2c4a33a7c43d362743d1f91b20958f1d5016a7b2e51d393a376b06a7cd177 op_cert_counter: 10