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 8974731 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 96662739 epoch_slot_no: 153939 block_no: 8974554 slot_leader_id: 4614296 size: 53658 time: 2023-07-01 16:30:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x444e5c861b47a749449d9e8f9b5cc85ef21b7c76c5a42366c3394c4119597c62Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hklew6wgnk07hvt68e8c63l9kzz6atf4kefpuhlqz2xf66yupjrshv88sw op_cert: \xd145f5349452c26124383e80f540fca4bf515c0ba94b0c8f533be672bfba2d8c op_cert_counter: 13