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 8974728 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 96662616 epoch_slot_no: 153816 block_no: 8974551 slot_leader_id: 7046945 size: 70130 time: 2023-07-01 16:28:27 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6034da7d6bb115b8797799b40e9dc7d7e09c081fbe0f1389f1d5e701e659e36aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cq75080yk52l0f7a0ywpjpcx77flk57gw9whj8fjdzzk5yqjgk7s9xjpcj op_cert: \x92d986b9a0e332bdc310ea0b359bff1379ffc36db47a5ab1b714ffe878c862f1 op_cert_counter: 1659973481