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 8978446 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 96739314 epoch_slot_no: 230514 block_no: 8978269 slot_leader_id: 4555892 size: 29722 time: 2023-07-02 13:46:45 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa60e399d9cf041857bf416ffcf1d68d41273a400b8c1b67ec907a0a217f1bcefBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pgcwdc0qvw7ejcrlqhxltpv5qrk4s8l8n3f64z8kjkaep6pqyljsxe7272 op_cert: \x1a1192c5d1850a0475a020a94123f4bf658a640382dd28796387ab471140dd9f op_cert_counter: 17