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 8974609 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 96660439 epoch_slot_no: 151639 block_no: 8974432 slot_leader_id: 5128287 size: 39796 time: 2023-07-01 15:52:10 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc3a4ee1d34fd554b63847a44a11e2ff2dac63db7c0b9c6edb376dcac77602db9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fgrjemrhesgqxdd6max0x5xvzrkyp2fnx8ft7vdhs2xyu0fk44psf9rr92 op_cert: \x30107bfc55eb7d815339101e1950a01d1cb20def58775d031286e1f14f9d8c41 op_cert_counter: 11