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 8974701 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 96662061 epoch_slot_no: 153261 block_no: 8974524 slot_leader_id: 4733300 size: 22191 time: 2023-07-01 16:19:12 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd2db3754df44bc5039f7ea766add6c920fbc36f2d386ab301fae31ff39e8aa10Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u8fpzrhfmyayq9vk3jsp32mklcszs9q8lhuaxlgspr8t4wqdkfys76vdcq op_cert: \x21fccb0d1aa044bcca540d8ab7b8626e47d001e2073897c55c6297dda26210db op_cert_counter: 8