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 8974973 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 96667428 epoch_slot_no: 158628 block_no: 8974796 slot_leader_id: 7335667 size: 71785 time: 2023-07-01 17:48:39 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7610edee00987bd4f7278eafda3c12cc7503837bd84b5c0a600ce8e3cd12a33eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uthj9utmwjr4cfz0d7fyzfdnz86438uf08xppd4j5vazrw7v2mcs2cdges op_cert: \xb989d37ccc544bea193f1b9e1fadb61699188ac5ca53b7c40caa0792dd2f878b op_cert_counter: 1659975086