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 8978686 Details
Epoch: 421 Number of transactions in block: 32 slot_no: 96744175 epoch_slot_no: 235375 block_no: 8978509 slot_leader_id: 5596534 size: 81550 time: 2023-07-02 15:07:46 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf853c10b7c6813bf8ecb67c5a4b64a7af796e99f092d2563f93e2b90ca5fc7a1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ltvd0w6hv0uczp02jjdswh5qu9nmfla04qtd25eqsydrf7n2pvssqcuc48 op_cert: \xa3d117f823608f22548b56ae8c14235ab434da139db98b3660184e00da7fe634 op_cert_counter: 10