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 8976594 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 96700282 epoch_slot_no: 191482 block_no: 8976417 slot_leader_id: 5555137 size: 50761 time: 2023-07-02 02:56:13 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x494367fe844bdaf6b9a0bd19f6d560ecdc84908d8f6795b193fc99e98eba1a8aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x4gcag7r4n0pld5qdd38etqqsmfsjp5sehughrrg7ew7kesd67zs9va90y op_cert: \xa434b93bc679054a9e325c2d752e12c492fde59d14a2f2ea1809f3542b240a35 op_cert_counter: 9