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 8974734 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 39 slot_no: 96662859 epoch_slot_no: 154059 block_no: 8974557 slot_leader_id: 8484595 size: 86564 time: 2023-07-01 16:32:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe8c8e2b31d96eb148aa7b30340d2ee5b4e77ff7d8059da45d4dc5c65c6a1bf7aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1q8tmx3rtp5k3k4q2vptjtcu7p56mrymwnsdyegfcmey4ju45mywqrwl8sd op_cert: \x66550fb69421f9b9fdf1a4cd8979f21f058053045e6f09101f2e814250c17058 op_cert_counter: 1