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 8978221 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 96734289 epoch_slot_no: 225489 block_no: 8978044 slot_leader_id: 8047028 size: 17798 time: 2023-07-02 12:23:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x085fd038cb8d0409c144d620905f7c6297df6f36ebeb8f1ba92ead3e5d3e3f35Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fuuawa20d8f997fyj3twgr0ku0hegzzv64xwaug4pf99l8s2la7sw48nzq op_cert: \xb03e944b60d213ec7fe9e3c3d56291ccfe6670bc124c9285d3cafdd8a5464e99 op_cert_counter: 3