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 8978374 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 29 slot_no: 96737702 epoch_slot_no: 228902 block_no: 8978197 slot_leader_id: 5004651 size: 74061 time: 2023-07-02 13:19:53 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x173d15335c503e3133d40ca589ded0b05ea94b4ffb9d0a3a7fbbf67b69969d7aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d9dr3tl0fptww5r9pyxj4kafvxxz4h6vqe9kud4gx062q2rl6l8q49e4p0 op_cert: \x021936746b929ae4831536e12539d018b224cc9b87a5b1e290f7bad9586a582f op_cert_counter: 10